Honor Pricks Me On
by VanityFlair
Summary: The McPherson twins thought they had it all figured out, but Jeguk High threw them a curveball. Now Parker and Piper are making friends and doing things they had never planned to, and Parker continues to try to stop Piper from making stupid decisions regarding a certain hotel heir.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first time writing for a show not in my native language, so I'm a little nervous. I'm including a little reference list of the Korean words used in my fic. I write them using the Revised Romanization standards, so some words may differ from what you normally see.**

**Like the show, the title of this story is a reference to Shakespeare's Henry IV. What can I say? I enjoy being meta.**

**This show will diverge from the canon at some points, but I intend to stay fairly faithful (ish) to the source material.**

**I'd really appreciate your reviews!**

* * *

"Mom, where's my…nevermind!" A female voice rang through the house.

"Dad, can we take the Rolls to school today?" A male voice followed.

"You have your own car; why do you want mine?" The father's voice answered.

"It's our first day of school; we have to make an impression on these people!"

There was a pause. "Will you take your brother to school as well?"

"Yeah."

"Then you can take the Rolls."

It was a normal morning in the McPherson house – save for the fact that up until recently they had been living in another country. The head of the household, Pádraic McPherson, was a lauded observational astrophysicist. He and his wife, Pearl, moved often, bouncing from university to university, observatory to observatory. Pearl, a fashion designer, wasn't bothered by the constant moving – in her opinion, drinking in the different cultures made her a better designer.

Their children, on the other hand, were different stories altogether. Their eldest, Peyton, had moved nine times while he was still living at home. Now 26, he had returned to his birthplace of England to set up his own law practice. The middle children, Parker and Piper, had moved five times. The twins, both 18 if it were measured by Korean standards - to the rest of the world, they were only 17 - (either way, Parker thoroughly enjoyed holding it over his twin sisters' head that he was older), bemoaned the fact that they had moved yet again. The youngest was Prosper – the miracle child, as it was thought he'd be stillborn – and at the tender age of 7 had moved to two different countries.

Assisting Mr. and Mrs. McPherson in rearing their rowdy children were the Boyles, affectionately called Nan and Pap by the children. They were responsible for teaching the children the language of their new home, both skilled linguists having once worked as translators for the UN, as well as assisting Mrs. McPherson in taking care of their home. For all their wealth, the McPhersons weren't ones to bother with maids and various staff to do household tasks they could do themselves. Their children would never learn the value of hard work if they had everything done for them.

The three children made their way down the stairs, each dressed in the uniforms of their prospective schools. They were greeted by their parents and adoptive grandparents at the bottom of the stairs, their mother and Nan both holding cameras and taking multiple pictures.

"My babies' first day in Korea," Mrs. McPherson gushed, taking yet another picture.

"I hate uniforms," Piper muttered, fluffing her carefully curled hair.

Though she wasn't completely high-maintenance, she had a good amount of self-confidence. Given her vast knowledge that first impressions were everything – especially in a school like the one she was headed to – she and her brother had made sure they were coifed, combed and curled to perfection.

"Seriously, mom," Parker added. "Why did you send us to a school where we have to wear uniforms?"

"Because all schools have uniforms here," their father interjected. "Now, if you don't want to be late for your first day, I suggest you get a move on."

He tossed the car keys to his eldest son, who caught them with a pleased smile. Piper took her younger brother's hand in hers as they said goodbye to each of the adults and made their way out to the driveway. The charcoal gray Rolls Royce Phantom sat there, waiting for them to drive it through the streets of Seoul.

Their first stop was Prosper's elementary school. The four-story building had students and teachers milling around the front area, waiting for school to begin. Piper climbed out of the passenger seat and took Prosper by the hand once again, leading him up to the school while their brother sat in the car, waiting.

"_Shille hamnida_," Piper waved down an older woman, who she suspected to be a teacher. "Are you a teacher here?"

"Yes," the woman replied, noticeably surprised at the girl who was clearly not Korean speaking the language fluently. "What can I help you with?"

"This is Prosper McPherson, a new student here," Piper inclined her head towards her younger brother, who had shied behind her. "Would you do me a favor and take him to the office? My older brother and I have to get to our school. I have all the rest of his admission forms here," Piper held out the manila folder containing the documents.

"Of course," the woman complied, taking the folder as she held out her hand for Prosper.

"Go with the nice lady, Prop," Piper nudged, slipping back into English.

Prosper, the shy one, eyes the woman carefully before gingerly slipping his hand into hers. Once Prosper had been transferred from his sister to the teacher, the woman looked back up to Piper, her eyes immediately on the school crest on her blazer.

"You're going to Jeguk High School?" The woman asked.

"I am," Piper nodded. "Why?"

"Let's hope you're in the first group," the woman informed her, turning and bringing Prosper to the building.

"Yes, because that makes so much sense without any kind of context," Piper muttered, watching the woman lead her youngest brother towards the school before making her way back to the car.

The twins drove to their new school, making sure to blast some electronica as they neared the building. It was huge – much larger than their younger brother's school. There was a drop-off point under an overhang for the chauffeured students to be let off, and a lot for students to park their own cars. It was a good thing Parker had convinced his dad to let them bring the Rolls Royce – the cars of the other students were extremely expensive. Sneers and disdainful glares were sent their way because of the loud music as Parker pulled into an empty spot in the parking lot.

"Are you ready?" He asked, turning to look at his sister.

Piper turned to return the gaze, answering only with an adjustment of her sunglasses and a mischievous smirk.

It was the same story with every new school: make a big fuss the first day, probably insult one or more fellow students and see who fights back. If all went according to their plan, by the time they left each school the fighters had become loyal friends. There were times that things ended up failing, and the twins had found themselves with targets on their backs, but thankfully nothing too severe had happened to them.

The twins sauntered up to the school, entering what they assumed to be the quad. There was a large group of students surrounding three students – two male and one female. The female was dressed in street clothes, and from her expression she was severely uncomfortable.

"_Annyeonghaseyo_!" Piper called loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Who's going to show us to the office?"

All heads turned towards the twins. There were various expressions in the crowd. Contempt, confusion, and intrigue to name a few. Parker looked at the crowd and then inclined his head down closer to his sister, lowering his voice.

"Do we really look that different?" He muttered, switching to English so they'd be less likely to be overheard.

"Well, we're clear foreigners in a country of homogeneous people," she whispered back. "My guess is they're probably wondering if we're leprechauns."

"Our hair isn't that red," Parker rebutted, self-consciously touching his dark auburn locks.

"It's red enough," Piper guessed, plastering a derisive smile on her face as she addressed her new schoolmates in their mother tongue. Still no one had come forward to help them – not that the twins had expected them to. "_Wae_? Does no one know where the office is in your own school?"

"Aren't your parents paying for your education at this ridiculously overpriced school," Parker added, tsking loudly. "What a waste of money."

Piper turned her attention to the female in the center of the group, finally noticing she was in street clothes.

"Are you new too?" Piper asked her. The girl nodded, causing Piper to grin madly and skip over to the girl and link arms with her. "Great! We can be lost together! My first day and I've already made a best friend!"

The girl gave a small, nervous smile, shrinking back slightly but not untangling her arm from Piper's.

"And she's shy too," Piper turned to her brother, slapping a hand over her chest as if to say the girl was melting her heart.

Parker flashed his sister a look that read quite clearly, 'What the hell are you doing? This isn't a part of our plan.' Piper gave a miniscule shrug. Plans changed. It happened from time to time.

A male student finally came up to them, his nametag on his uniform reading Yoon Chan Young. "I'll show you where it is."

"_Kamsamnida_," Piper grinned, motioning for her brother to follow them.

His reply was a snort and a roll of his eyes and he followed the two girls, who were in turn following Chan Young. Chan Young led them down various walkways, allowing the new students to see the grandeur of the school.

"Wearing regular clothes on your first day," Piper sighed. "I wish I'd thought of that. Uniforms don't suit me."

"Uh, you did think of that," Parker interjected. "Mom said that if you didn't wear your uniform you'd wear nothing at all.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Piper leaned in to the girl, lowering her voice to a mock whisper. "And public indecency isn't the kind of first impression I want to make."

"The front office is down that way," Chan Young pointed in the direction they should go. "I have to talk to my friend a moment."

"Oh," Piper looked between the two and gave a small shrug. "_Araso_."

She untangled her arm from the other girls and began to walk in the direction Chan Young had indicated.

"Piper, where are your manners," her brother called after her, causing her to turn around and cock her head to the side in confusion. Parker looked to the two others and gave a small smile. "I'm Parker McPherson, that idiot is my twin sister Piper. You two are?"

"Yoon Chan Young," the boy introduced himself.

"Cha Eun Sang," the girl greeted, sending a grateful half smile to Piper.

"By the way," Chan Young interjected. "I'm not so sure insulting everyone this morning was a good idea."

"Well, that's just who we are," Parker informed him.

"We insult them…" Piper began.

"Then compliment them," Parker added.

"And confuse them." Piper grinned.

"If they can handle all that, then they're good enough to be our friends." Parker chuckled. "Go have your talk, we'll see you later."

The twins began their walk towards the office, leaving Eun Sang and Chan Young to whatever conversations they were having. Once they were out of earshot – irrelevant, because they had switched to speaking English – Parker nudged his sister roughly in the arm and began scolding her.

"What were you doing?" Parker asked indignantly. "I mean, that was way off the plan."

"But she looked so helpless," Piper defended. "She was in the proverbial lion's den back there; what was I supposed to do?"

"But we **never **act nice on the first day," he reminded her.

"Well, maybe it's time we change our M.O." She argued.

Parker groaned, throwing his head back as he walked alongside his sister. "If we get massacred after this, I'm gonna blame you."

"If we get massacred after this, you're going to have to put on your big boy pants and get over it." Piper fired back, rolling her eyes at her older brother's immaturity.

* * *

**_Shille hamnida: _"Excuse me" (for catching a stranger's attention) [formal]**

**_Annyeonghaseyo: _Hello [formal]**

_**Wae:**_**Why. (Sometimes used to mean 'How come?' and 'What for?', or as a disgruntled 'What?') [informal]**

___Kamsamnida:_**Thank you. [formal]**

**_Araso: _I understand/I got it/okay [informal]**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: A big hello and thank you to those who are now following this story!**

**I forgot to mention last chapter: while I like to stick pretty close to canon, this one is going to diverge. SOme characters may be a little OOC at times, but that's the beauty of fanfics.**

**I would love to hear what you think, so don't be afraid to leave a review!**

* * *

Instead of arriving at the administration's office like they expected, the twins found themselves in the teacher's office.

"You're my new transfer students, aren't you?" A female teacher walked up to them, a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. "All your forms are in, we just need the final transfer documents. You have them with you?"

"Yeah," Parker pulled open the messenger bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out the folder containing the rest of the forms.

"Here are your locker assignments and your schedules," She told them, trading their papers for the one's she held in her hand. "Your first class is with me, and I noticed you didn't have any clubs that you wanted to join listed on your electives preference sheets."

"We're not really 'joiners'," Parker informed her.

"We don't really stay at one school long enough to contribute anything of value." Piper added.

"I see," the teacher gave the same small smile. "Class will be starting soon; make sure you're on time."

"Yes, ma'am," the twins nodded, turning and making their way out of the teacher's office and to their classroom.

They made a short pit stop to see where their lockers would be, and the musical chimes told them that class would be starting soon.

"Well, at least it's better than the dismissal bells at our old school," Parker mused as he and his sister went to their first class.

They were mildly surprised to see some familiar faces in the room. The two male students from earlier were there – Piper naming them Eyebrows and Hair in her mind, not knowing their names. The students stared the twins down, the twins answering with cold glares of their own.

The moment was interrupted, though, when their teacher walked in, Cha Eun Sang steps behind her. She motioned for the twins to stand beside Eun Sang at the front of the class.

"These are the transfer students whom you'll be studying with, starting today." The teacher introduced them. "Greet them."

"_Annyeonghaseyo_. Parker McPherson," he introduced himself, giving a mocking two-fingered salute to the class instead of bowing.

"Piper McPherson," she jutted a thumb up to her brother. "His twin sister."

"**Younger**twin," Parker smirked.

"I hate you," she muttered.

"Our father's Pádraic McPherson," Parker continued, noting the sparse reaction from the rest of the class, causing him to clarify. "He's an astrophysicist."

"A lot of the girls might know our mother, Pearl." Piper interjected. "She's the founder, owner, and chief designer of the fashion line Posy and Pearl."

That earned them a better reaction, excited whispers coming from many of the girls in the classroom. With the twins' introductions done, all eyes turned to Eun Sang, who was shifting nervously on her feet.

She bowed, "_Annyeonghaseyo_, I'm…" she trailed off, realizing she had begun to use honorifics. Many of the students began to snicker at her mistake. Eun Sang drew in a deep breath and shook off the embarrassment, continuing in a casual tone. "I'm Cha Eun Sang. I am ordinary and mundane, from every aspect. I'm someone who can do well anywhere, so I refuse any attention. Receiving help would be burdensome. Nice to meet you."

Piper threw a victorious smirk at her brother as the students 'ooh'-ed at Eun Sang's final remarks. Her new friend had some fire in her, and it was something about which Piper was glad to prove Parker wrong.

"Find empty seats and sit." The teacher instructed. "Let's start the lesson."

"I have a question for the transfer student." A male student interrupted, lowering the hand he had raised to get the teacher's attention. He looked to Eun Sang. "How did you manage to get in here?"

"Are you speaking to us?" Piper interjected impudently, knowing full well he wasn't.

"No," the student pointed to Eun Sang. "Her. How did she get in this school?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as they awaited Eun Sang's answer. Eun Sang could only stare nervously at her classmates, hesitant to answer.

"There is another new student here as well." Hair spoke up, raising his hand.

"Is there a student who doesn't know Tan at our school?" The teacher questioned.

"Still, I should say my greetings." He answered smoothly, getting out of his seat to walk to the front of the classroom. He stood in front of Eun Sang, hands casually in his pockets. "Can you move? It is my turn."

Though his words were directed only at Eun Sang, with Hair standing up to give his greetings there was no reason for Parker and Piper to remain at the front of the classroom. The three made their way to the empty chairs, each separate from the other. Piper found herself sitting in front of one of the students from earlier that day – the one she had mentally nicknamed Eyebrows – the smirk on his face telling her immediately that he was a troublemaker. As they sat, Hair turned and addressed the class.

"I am Kim Tan," he introduced, also opting out of bowing. "The school I used to attend...even if I tell you, you guys won't know. It hasn't been long since I've returned from America. I, too, want to enjoy an ordinary and mundane school life. Please cooperate."

/

During one of the breaks in the day, Piper wandered the halls looking for the broadcasting room. Her penchant for being distracted had flared up during class, and she had surreptitiously begun fiddling with a recording she had made of her brother playing his guitar on her tablet. However, she wanted to fine tune it before the ideas had vanished from her mind.

She finally tracked down the broadcasting room, knocking lightly on the door and opening it slightly.

"_Cheogiyo_," Piper stuck her head through the partially opened doorway, her eyes immediately landing on the audio equipment. "Oh thank god, you do have a soundboard."

She brushed past the young man already in the room, who called after her and asked to know what she thought she was doing. However, Piper ignored him, sitting in front of the soundboard and connecting her tablet to the soundboard, attaching her full size headphones into the audio jack before beginning to work on the mix.

The student in the room walked over to her, pulling the headphones off her head, the unedited music pouring quietly from them.

"_Ya_!" Piper snapped, her eyebrows knitting together as she looked up at him.

"I asked what you were doing here," the student repeated calmly.

Piper backed off, knowing she was in the wrong. "Sorry, I should have asked. I just didn't want to lose the music before I got it into the file. It's just a few tweaks and I'll be gone, I promise."

The student, clearly easy-going, nodded in assent and handed her the headphones he had confiscated. "You're one of the new students, right? I'm Lee Hyo Shin."

"Piper McPherson," she greeted, taking her headphones back. "Thanks."

Hyo Shin left her in silence to finish her mix, and as promised she was done in mere minutes.

Pulling the cords of the soundboard out of her tablet, Piper turned to Hyo Shin and flashed a bashful smile.

"Thanks again for letting me barge in," she said as she packed up her things. "I can finish the rest at home; there were just some bass lines and harmonies I had to get in."

"You write music?" Hyo Shin asked, the question on his mind since the girl had walked in.

Piper shook her head, "Not really. I mean, I can do arrangements, and I can mix voices and instruments together pretty well, but songwriting's not really my forte."

"I heard your dad's an astrophysicist," Hyo Shin went on. "You don't want to do that to?"

"Oh god no, I don't have the head for that." She chuckled. "I think I want to be a music producer. I don't really know; I still have some time to think about it. What about you?"

Hyo Shin paused, his expression tightening slightly. "My parents want me to go to law school."

Piper studied him closer, "That wasn't what I asked."

He tensed up; unsure of how to phrase his answer to someone he didn't know.

"Do they pressure you?" She pressed, Hyo Shin answering only by shifting uncomfortably. "Is it bad?"

He cleared his throat and straightened his perfectly placed tie. Piper could see her line of questioning was making him uncomfortable, and began connecting the dots between his answer and his non-answer.

"Hey, I know this is kind of weird - especially coming from a total stranger and all – but," Piper paused, pulling out a scrap of paper and scribbling her address on it, "if you need somewhere to stay and want to avoid the normal friend questions like 'what happened', or 'how are you feeling'…if you need a place to stay, no questions asked, then our door's open."

Hyo Shin took the scrap tentatively, not voicing any kind of response. Recognizing that as her cue to leave, Piper slipped past him and made her way out into the hallway. As she was exiting the broadcast room, a tall figure stopped her in her tracks. Piper looked up to see Eyebrows standing there, his handsome face marred by a smirk.

"Three in one day," he continued smirking. "I certainly am lucky."

"Are you the welcome wagon or something?" Piper wondered aloud, unsure how high her sass dial should be turned.

"Better. I'm Choi Young Do, and you're mine."

Piper slapped a hand over her heart and feigned indignation, "And you haven't even asked me on a date yet. Manners."

She stepped around him to continue on her way down the hall. Young Do stuck out a foot to trip her, but the girl deftly skipped over his outstretched foot. As she cleared the obstacle, she turned around and flashed him a sweet smile heavy with sarcasm.

"Let me guess, you were going to trip me and then catch me to show me how much control you **think** you have over me," she surmised. "Sorry….don't even remember what your name is…but somebody beat you to that little stunt three schools ago." The smile dropped, her expression mimicking the smirk that he had worn earlier. "You think you can intimidate me? Try to come up with better material."

Her smirk deepened, and she turned on her heel so quickly her auburn curls fanned out behind her. Young Do watched as she walked away, a scowl set deep into his mouth.

"You want to see what I can do?" He muttered, annoyance bubbling in his chest. "Don't worry new girl; I'll make sure you remember my name."

/

When lunchtime rolled around, Parker and Piper ate outside – it was an integral part of their first-day plan, to eat away from the other students and create 'mystery' and 'intrigue'. Really, it was just so their absence would be noticed and talked about, therefore creating more conversation opportunities. They had already deviated from their plan enough already; they couldn't stray from their comfort zone any further.

"This school is really weird." Parker mused, munching on the lunch that Nan had packed for them.

"Yeah, it is." Piper agreed. "And what's up with that Hair guy?"

"Kim Tan?" Parker asked, consistently better at remembering names than Piper was.

"Yeah, what's his deal? I mean, he comes back from abroad and there's already all this tension. And what is up between him and Eyebrows?"

"Eyebrows?" Parker grinned widely.

"Yeah," Piper giggled. "I mean, did you see them? Those are some distinctive eyebrows. And bee-tee-dubs," Piper chirped, her brother throwing her a disparaging look for the abbreviation of 'by the way', "he is **so **crossed off our 'insult then befriend' list. I mean, major ass-hat."

"Well, he apparently runs this school," Parker mused, the remark causing Piper to groan lightly. "Which reminds me, did you know this school has a caste system?"

"A what? I thought this was South Korea, not India." She scoffed.

"No, but seriously," he continued. "There are four groups that everyone falls into. The top tier is the business heir group; the students who are not only heirs to large fortunes, but also to large companies, which they will be expected to take over someday."

"Well, that's not us," Piper admitted.

"The second tier is the stock heir group. They won't actually run their parents' companies, but they're already major shareholders and are usually very aware of what's going on in the company."

"Is that us?" She wondered. "I mean, we have stocks in mom's company and dad bought us stocks in various astrophysics corporations."

"Yeah, we're probably second tier." Parker agreed. "But it goes on. Third tier are the Honor heirs, the ones who have to uphold the family honor instead of the family business. And, finally, there's the social welfare group. The scholarship kids. They're not here because of their parents; they're here because someone rich owes their parents a favor. Apparently Yoon Chan Young is one of them."

"Really?" Piper asked, surprised. "I guess that's why he's so nice."

"I just can't believe these kids," Parker shook his head. "I mean, where do they get off lording over others with money they didn't even earn themselves?"

"It's just high school," Piper placated. "We just have to tough it out until dad moves us again."

"And when will that be?"

She was silent, as much at a loss as her brother was.

/

"Hey, America!" Eyebrows caught her after school as she was making her way to the parking lot.

"Are you calling me?" Piper asked him, indignant as she stared him down. "What makes you think I'm from America? Because of my skin color?" She scoffed, "An expensive education and you're this ignorant? How 'bout we get your facts straight, hmm? I was born in Ireland, raised in England for my formative years and then shipped to five other countries before coming here. One of those countries **happened **to be America, but I'm not American." She informed him, a bite to her tone. "Now that we've got that settled, what do you want?"

"Just to inform you that, despite your claims, my material is not worn out," he sniped. "I just tripped and caught the other new girl and she didn't see it coming at all. You were just a fluke. Next time you won't get away so easily."

"And that's supposed to mean something?" Piper wondered. "Because you successfully harassed one of the new girls I'm – what – supposed to be impressed? Scared of you? What…what is it that you're going for?"

"I've already told you: you're mine," he told her, bending down towards her level and lowering his voice. "I may not have been able to demonstrate it properly, but it's still a fact. You just seem to not have come to terms with it."

"Again, not sure what you're going for," Piper repeated, slowing her words in hopes of conveying her message better. "Because I'm pretty sure I'm not your property. Those outdated gender roles are just that: outdated. So, like I said earlier when you **clearly** weren't listening: if you want to impress me, or intimidate me, or whatever it is that you want to do, get better material. Because this," Piper gestured wildly along the length of his body, "is really sad."

He scoffed, looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and fascination, "You have no idea who I am, do you? What I can do to you?"

"You have no idea how little I care," Piper replied, throwing another sarcastic smile on her face as her brother walked up beside her.

"What's going on here?" Parker asked, looking between his sister and the older student. "Piper, why are you taking so long?"

"I was just having a little talk with your sister," the older student smiled coldly. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. Choi Young Do, and that reminds me: I think there's something we need to talk about as well."

"Save it," Parker bit back. "I know your kind; hell, I've **been **that kind. You have money, meaning you have power, meaning you think you can do whatever the hell you want. And, in high-school context, that translates to being a bully. Leave my sister and me out of whatever machinations you have. We're not pawns, and if you attempt to use us as such have no doubt that we'll fight back. And if it's two against one, you will lose."

Instead of looking taken-aback or as if he had been put in his place, Young Do merely smiled gleefully. "This is going to be more fun than I thought."

He walked off, leaving the twins in muted bewilderment as they watched him go.

"What an asshole," Piper hissed.

"Forget about him," Parker swung an arm around his sister's shoulder, guiding her towards their car. "There's not actually anything he can do to us that hasn't been done before."

"He tried to do trip-catch with me earlier," Piper conceded.

"See, my point exactly."

/

When they arrived home, the three McPherson children were immediately bombarded with questions from their mother and Nan.

"How was school?"

"Did you make any friends?"

"Are the teachers nice?"

"And the students, were they friendly?"

"It was fine," the children answered, each grabbing a snack from the kitchen before going to their respective rooms.

Pearl and Nan exchanged knowing looks. While 'fine' was the only answer the usually received, it more often than not meant the first day of school was a success. In no time the children would start complaining. The uniforms sucked, the school food wasn't as good as Nan's, so-and-so is an asshole. As long as those comments weren't made on the first say, Pearl and Nan could be assured that the children would do just fine at their new school.

* * *

**_Annyeonghaseyo: _****Hello [formal]**

**___Cheogiyo: _****"Excuse me" (for catching a stranger's attention) [informal-ish]**

**____****Ya: Hey! (for either catching someone's attention or expressing displeasure) [informal]**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to those who followed and favorited this story!**

**I would love to hear what you think, so don't be afraid to leave a review!**

* * *

Piper and Parker sat alone at an empty table at lunch the next day. They spoke quietly to each other, gossiping about their fellow students and determining who else would make a good friend. Their moment was interrupted as Kim Tan came over, forcibly sitting Eun Sang in a seat at their table.

"Do you want to be in his place?" Tan asked her, walking around the table and sitting across from her, a seat which happened to be next to Piper. "If you want to attend school quietly, then just eat."

"What's going on?" Piper questioned warily, feeling the ice rolling off of both Tan and Eun Sang's demeanors.

"Was that the reason why you wanted me to eat with you?" Eun Sang asked Tan, still focused on their conversation.

"That's why it would have been nice if you listened." Tan replied coolly.

Piper leaned over to her brother, lowering her voice. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Not a clue," he shook his head. "But I'm guessing if we let them talk we'll find out on our own."

"How could you have predicted that?" Eun Sang demanded. "You also transferred to this school, right?"

Tan sighed heavily. "Because it's what I have done. That time, we did it together." He looked down, attempting to end the conversation by busying himself with his food.

"Is someone going to tell us what's going on, now?" Parker wondered, having gathered no kind of context from the conversation.

Their attention was caught, however, by a plate and utensils being places in the spot next to Eun Sang, directly across from Piper. Young Do sat down casually, as if joining life-long friends.

"Those punks are bullying a friend." He sighed, pulling his seat in as he sat down. "It's alright if I sit here, right?"

"Sit somewhere else." Tan instructed. "We need to eat the meal deliciously. You too, and I as well."

"I think I've finally got my appetite back." Young Do quipped. "Because I'm sitting with the new transfer students."

He sent a charming smile to the three new students he was sitting with. Eun Sang didn't look at him, and his smile widened when he saw the curled lips of distaste coming from the twins.

"I'll be leaving first." Eun Sang stated, beginning to stand up.

"Don't get up first." Young Do grabbed her arm, forcing her back into her seat.

"Let's just eat, both of us, chummily." Tan spoke up, attempting to persuade Young Do to let Eun Sang leave.

Young Do gave a tight-lipped smile. "We can't without the transfer student. There are many people looking, what if they misunderstand us as fighting?"

As his only response, Tan flipped his spoon onto the table with a loud clank, sinking back into his chair and folding his arms as the students around looked their way. Young Do leaned his elbow against the table, propping his head up with his palm as he looked to Eun Sang.

"Eat a lot, transfer student." He smiled, earning a humorless laugh from Tan.

"Alright, let's eat." Eun Sang conceded. "You, too, eat a lot."

Young Do chuckled lightly. "Look at her. A girl like this, how could I not take interest?"

Tan rubbed his forehead in exasperation as Piper made an obvious show of gagging. Young Do was really laying it on thick.

"What, are you jealous?" Young Do smirked at her.

"Ugh, I've just lost my appetite," Parker muttered, putting his chopsticks down.

"You too?" Piper wondered. "I find myself wanting to projectile vomit."

"That's not very lady-like," Young Do informed her.

Piper tsk-ed, "Again, you and your gender roles. Disappointing." Piper turned to Eun Sang, ignoring the two boys in front of her. "Sorry we were M.I.A. at lunch yesterday."

"M.I.A.?" Eun Sang repeated, unsure of the meaning.

Piper smiled warmly, "Missing in action. We don't normally do cafeteria food on the first day; sorry if we abandoned you or anything."

Eun Sang shook her head. "It's alright. I didn't feel abandoned."

"Here, give me your phone," Piper stuck out her hand, waiting for Eun Sang to place the device there. Piper began typing her number onto the keypad once it was exchanged, calling her phone so she'd have her new friend's number. "There, now that we have each other's numbers our friendship is sealed."

"Do you want mine, too?" Parker inquired, his gaze shifting between Tan and Young Do, "Just in case?"

"Oh, um, sure," Eun Sang nodded hesitantly.

"And just what are you implying?" Young Do wondered, leaning towards Parker.

"Just that you and Tan seem to get pretty physical," Parker mused, typing his number into Eun Sang's phone. "If you ever grabbed my sister like that, you'd have a black eye and a couple of missing teeth. And that would just be from Piper. Eun Sang is my sister's friend, meaning she's my friend too," he explained, handing Eun Sang's phone back to her. "And she doesn't deserve to be man-handled by either of you. Keep that in mind."

/

Thankfully, there were no further run-ins with Young Do for either of the twins the rest of the school day. They still didn't know why everyone in the school seemed to fall in line behind him, but they knew enough not to start any unnecessary confrontations with him.

Once she got home, Piper was wrangled into her father's car and taken into the city.

"Where are we going?" Piper wondered, looking at the various sites of the city streets.

"You'll see," Pádraic grinned, turning the corner and coming to a stop in front of a motorcycle shop moments later.

"Dad, you're 54," Piper quipped as she exited the car, following her father into the motorcycle shop. "You're well past the age of a mid-life crisis. Why are you buying a motorcycle?"

"It's not for me," Pádraic ruffled his daughter's hair. "It's for your brother."

"Parker?" She asked, stunned.

"Peyton," he clarified, effectively shutting up his daughter and mollifying her simultaneously.

"Ireland!" She heard from another end of the motorcycle shop. "You just missed Eun Sang."

Piper turned around, her eyes growing wide as she saw Young Do sauntering towards her and her father, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Eun Sang-ah was here?" Piper questioned, still caught off guard by his appearance.

Young Do threw a hand over his heart, mocking the sarcastic gesture he'd seen her use a few times. "You call her Eun Sang-ah, but you don't call me Young Do-yah?"

"Are you a schoolmate of my daughter's?" Pádraic asked, earning a small bow for Young Do as the older man caught his attention.

"Pleased to meet you, sir. I'm Choi Young Do." He threw an arm around Piper, startling her as he drew her in towards him. "I can honestly say that it's a pleasure having your daughter as a classmate."

"_Appa_, Choi Young Do has been such a big help at school," Piper gushed convincingly. "He's even volunteered himself to assist me with anything and everything that I might need while I'm getting acclimated to the school."

"I see," Pádraic looked from Piper to Young Do, "I appreciate you helping my daughter."

Young Do inclined his head as a silent 'you're welcome', the angelic look on his face disappearing as Pádraic turned his back and began perusing the various options. Young Do looked down at Piper, a triumphant smirk on his face, knowing he had found an effective way to antagonize her. Piper merely glared daggers at him.

"Do you want to die?" She hissed lowly.

"Piper," her father called out to her, bringing her attention to the blue and white motorcycle beside him. "What do you think of this?"

Piper shook her head, a look on her face that clearly conveyed it was the wrong choice for her eldest brother. Pádraic looked from her to Young Do, whose arm was still slung around Piper's shoulders.

"Son," Pádraic nodded down to Young Do's arm, indicating it should be removed.

"Son?" Young Do repeated, his arm falling down out of surprise.

"It means something different in English," Piper hurriedly explained. "Him calling you 'son' doesn't mean he intends for you to become his son, but rather it's a term of familiarity used by older men to younger men. Don't read into it."

"_Abeoji_," Young Do smiled realistically, causing Piper to curse under her breath as he walked towards her father. "I'd recommend this model; its performance is far superior."

As Young Do began showing Pádraic the bike, he turned and threw another exultant sneer at her. Piper clenched her jaw and shook her head, drawing her finger across her neck in a slitting motion as she glared at her classmate. The threat didn't faze Young Do in the slightest. Now he knew exactly how to push her buttons, and he'd milk this for all it was worth.

/

Piper made a beeline for the broadcasting room the next morning, hoping to find Hyo Shin there. She knocked quietly on the door, sticking her head in the same way she had done the previous time. He looked wordlessly at her, causing her to smile nervously.

"I'm not here to steal your sound equipment again, I promise." She told him, stepping through the door. "I just stopped in to say thank you – again – and to give you a copy of the mix I was working on." Piper held out the USB stick containing the file. "In case you were curious. I mean, not like I expected you be, and you don't have to listen to it if you don't want to, I just….yeah." Piper cut her rambling off, grimacing in embarrassment.

Hyo Shin took the USB stick and studied her curiously, "How many faces do you have?"

"What?" Piper questioned, confused.

"The way I've seen you talk to Young Do is different from how you talk to the other transfer student, and that's different from how you talk to me." He mused. "Just wondering which one is the real you."

"They're all the real me," she told him. "I talk to Young Do the way I do because he's an asshole, and I talk to you this way because I barged into your workspace and I'm apologetic."

Hyo Shin nodded, accepting her answer coolly and inserted the stick into the port of one of the audio systems.

"Oh, you don't have to…" Piper trailed off. She hadn't intended to be there when he listened to her mix.

Piper stood there awkwardly, watching Hyo Shin's expressionless face as he listened. Her brother's guitar was underlaid by a deep bass line and electronic drums, a string instrument and synthetic vocal harmonies overlaying the central melody. Together, it created a warm, ambient track.

When it ended, Hyo Shin turned to Piper. "Did you use a _haegeum _in your mix?"

She nodded, "Yeah, it's an interesting sound, and I figured why the hell not?"

"And was that you singing?"

"No," she shook her head wildly. "That's the computer's voice. I don't sing; I mean, I can carry a tune and all, but I'm not as good as my brother."

Hyo Shin hummed, mulling over thoughts in his head. "There's a position open in the broadcast club. You have to take a test to be considered, but you seem pretty good with the equipment. It's yours if you want it."

"Thanks, but I'm not really one for joining clubs," she told him. "We never know when we'll be moving again, so Parker and I tend not to get involved."

A knock came on the door and Eun Sang stepped inside. "Is this the broadcast club?" She asked. "I called about the open spot."

"See?" Piper grinned at Hyo Shin as she gestured to Eun Sang. "You don't even need me."

"I saw that one of the benefits of joining was a scholarship," Eun Sang began.

"Scholarship?" Hyo Shin repeated.

"I know that there will be a lot of applicants and that all the kids have had tutors since they could walk to get into Ivy League schools but I'm just curious. Is the scholarship pre-paid or deferred?"

"Why does it matter what it is?" He returned with a small smile.

"Because I need some money to pay for my school uniform." She confessed.

Hyo Shin grinned wider, "How much were you looking at when you came?"

"What?" She asked, laughing nervously.

"Are you saying that you're going to apply for the broadcasting group so you could get the scholarship?"

"I have a lot of enthusiasm for the broadcasting group – "

"Let's just say that's true." He cut her off. "You're a lot different than the rumors. Do you really not have money to pay for your school uniform? I hear you were 'new money'."

"I bought a purse." She told him. "I spend my money too carelessly."

"Are you telling me to pick you, someone who bought a purse with her uniform money?"

"Minus that part, I don't have many flaws. I'm quite sincere and hardworking." Eun Sang insisted.

"How would I know if you're hardworking or not?"

"Because I found out what kind of person you were, _Sunbae_. Sincerely."

"Oh, really?" He asked, the corner of his lips quirking up into another smirk.

"That you were a really nice person. Kind and gentle," Eun Sang began buttering him up.

Piper, having observed the interaction with quiet amusement, stepped in to help. She walked to Hyo Shin and placed her arm casually on his shoulder. "Hyo Shin-ah, she's a friend of mine; I can attest to her character."

He turned to her, the grin still on his face. "You, with the many faces, who barged in and used the studio without asking?"

"Well, you have to admit, my mix was pretty good." She replied. "Come on, you'll give her a chance, right? Hmm?" Piper pouted, laying _aegyo_ on thick as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Hyo Shin gave a small laugh, looking back to Eun Sang and seeing her look innocently back at him.

"Are you giving me a chance to take the test?" She wondered.

Hyo Shin sighed, knowing when he had been beaten. He handed the test to Eun Sang who accepted it happily.

"_Komawo_, Hyo Shin-ah," Piper half-sang, feigning shyness as she took her arm off of his shoulder.

"Mmhm," he hummed, giving her a knowing look.

Eun Sang and Piper walked out, Eun Sang looking over the test paper Hyo Shin had given her.

"That was the first time I've been that charming since I got here." Piper mused.

"Thanks for helping me." Eun Sang's voice was bashful, but nonetheless grateful. "You didn't have to do that."

"Why, because 'any help would be burdensome'?" Piper teased, linking arms with Eun Sang "Come on, we're friends. What's the point of being friends if you can't help each other out once and a while?"

Eun Sang sighed, her eyes falling downwards. "I think you're my only true friend here, aside from Chan Young."

"Yeah, the students here can be…"

Their attention was caught by the sound of something hitting a metallic surface, and they could barely make out through the crowd that Young Do's lackeys were throwing one of the lower tier students, Joon Young, against the lockers repeatedly. Young Do grabbed him one final time, slamming him against the lockers and holding him there.

"Why do you keep hurting my heart, Joon Young?" Young Do asked coldly. "Did you really think if you came in like that, I wouldn't know?" He let the hyperventilating boy go, waving his hand with crafted nonchalance. "No matter if you tell on me to the teacher or not, how many times do I have to tell you? Even though your dad answers his phone himself, my dad's secretary answers his. Why do you keep making me share secrets with the secretary office?!"

"This is disgusting," Piper breathed, horrified. She could feel Eun Sang tensed beside her, both girls mere moments away from jumping to Joon Young's defense.

"What else do I need to show you in order for you to be considerate? It's because you don't show courtesy to me." Young Do went on, knocking Joon Young's head aside roughly with a finger. "In order to appeal to you…" He repeated the action. "…I do this to you when all the other kids are watching."

It was silent, save for Joon Young's labored breathing. He was either about to break down and cry, or snap and do something rash. Piper wasn't sure which one was worse, and she cursed her feet for remaining glued to the ground.

"Are you going to be like this again?" Young Do interrogated him. When Joon Young didn't answer, Young Do brought his hand down roughly, slapping the top of Joon Young's head. "Are you not going to answer?" He slapped him once more. "Won't you answer and stop looking?"

Eun Sang made a stuttering movement, as if she were about to step in but needed to hold back for some reason.

"Don't mess with me!" Joon Young screamed, finally snapping as he pushed Young Do backwards. "I won't hold it in now!" He took his backpack and swung it hard, nicking Young Do on the cheek.

It was a measly scrape, barely bleeding, but it was one of the highest offenses. Young Do brought a hand up to the wound, momentarily stunned that his long-time victim had fought back. When he pulled his hand away to look at the blood, a mocking smile and laugh graced his features.

"Why are you making the Devil mad?" Young Do wondered, his voice menacing. "Want to die?"

"I won't hold it in, you bastard!" Joon Young shouted, almost half-mad. "I will transfer soon so I have nothing to be afraid of! I'm going to kill you!"

He ran towards Young Do at full blast – either attempting to knock him down or hit him once more, it was unclear – and his actions proved useless as Young Do's reflexes kicked into action. With expert skill, he grabbed Joon Young and flipped him over, sending the young man down and landing on his back roughly against the cold tiles. The students gasped in surprise, their exclamations accented by Joon Young's cry of pain.

Piper and Eun Sang looked on, horrified. They looked to Joon Young's attacker, who was suddenly staring straight at them. He placed a foot firmly on Joon Young's shoulder, forcing the boy back down on the ground.

"If you were going to hold it in, you should have held it in more." Young Do stated, though his words seemed to be more for Eun Sang than Joon Young. "I'm looking forward to find out what things will happen to you."

Seeing the predatory look in his eyes, Piper tightened her hold on Eun Sang, wordlessly communicating that her friend was off-limits. Young Do noted the exchange and changed his expression to let Piper know it didn't matter. With one final jab to Joon Young's shoulder, Young Do sauntered off, cronies in tow. The students walked off, carrying on with their day as they ignored the boy sprawled on the floor.

Eun Sang rushed forward to help him. "Are you okay?"

Piper bent down, helping Eun Sang sit him up, "Do you need to go to the infirmary?"

Joon Young was silent, still breathing heavily.

"Do you want to drink water?" Eun Sang attempted, holding the bottle out for him. A hand snatched it away, and they looked up to find Tan hovering above them. He grabbed Eun Sang's wrist, dragging her up and thrust her against the lockers. "What are you doing? I'm giving it to him!"

"Don't you understand?" He questioned, calm in spite of the situation. "Don't meddle into things like this."

"I'm just asking if he was alright, how is that meddling?" She pressed.

"In here, is there anyone else aside from you who are talking to him?" He returned. Eun Sang's eyes darted to Piper. "She's not from her," Tan dismissed. "They'll give her a pass for a while because she doesn't know how things work here."

"I don't appreciate being spoken about like I'm not here," Piper hissed.

Tan ignored her, his attention focused solely on Eun Sang. "In Jeguk High, you should never take the side of the weak. If someone weak stands by the weak, then they will just be weak."

"That's disgusting," Piper scowled. "'Judge not a man by the way he treats his equals, but rather by the way he treats those inferior to himself.' Wise words that you'd do well remember." She looked to Joon Young, still seated on the hallway floor. "Are you alright? Do you need help standing up?"

"I'm fine," he brushed her off.

"You're not fine, you just got slammed into the floor," Piper argued.

"He said he's fine," Tan sounded irritated.

"No one asked your opinion," she spat.

"And I didn't ask for your help," Joon Young muttered, getting up stiffly and brushing himself off. Without sparing a glance at the two girls who helped him, he made his way down the slowly emptying hallway, leaving them to stare speechlessly after him.

Piper turned to Eun Sang, who was still cornered against the lockers by Tan. "Eun Sang-ah," Piper called over, standing up. "_Ka ja_."

"She's staying here," Tan argued, defiance and annoyance creeping in under his skin.

"I think you'll find she can make her own decisions." Piper spat back. "Eun Sang, do you want to leave with me?"

Throwing a disparaging look at Tan, Eun Sang nodded. "Yes, let's go."

The girl maneuvered away from his domination stance, walking to her friend. Piper promptly linked arms with Eun Sang and walked with her down the hall.

"Was it just me, or was Choi Young Do threatening you in the last part of that confrontation." Piper wondered, her voice low. Eun Sang was silent. "With me he's just annoying, to you it seems he's determined to be downright menacing."

"He's just a bully," Eun Sang replied, and though Piper could see Eun Sang wanted to talk about something else, Piper refused.

"It's more than that, and you know it." She argued. "It's like he knows some big dark secret of yours and will use it as blackmail to toy with you however he wishes. That look in his eyes? That was of someone who thinks he holds all the cards."

Again, Eun Sang was quiet, though her demeanor changed. Piper was right; Young Do did know something.

"You said I'm your friend, right?" Piper went on. "So let me in; talk to me. If you feel uncomfortable because you think I'm always helping you, then stop. Friends help their friends. I don't want to see my only friend treated like this."

Eun Sang took in a deep breath, and leaned over to whisper in Piper's ear. "I'm Social Welfare, not 'New Money'," she confessed.

Suddenly, everything fell into place. Why Eun Sang wore street clothes and not a uniform. Why she wanted the Broadcasting Club's scholarship. Even why she was friends with Chan Young.

"You can't tell anyone; they'll massacre you." Piper agreed, her eyes wide. "But, how does Young Do know?"

"He saw me making deliveries for one of my part-time jobs."

"And Tan's so concerned for you not just because he likes you, but because – "

"My mother is a housemaid for his family." Eun Sang answered hesitantly. "No one else but you and Tan know that. You have to promise me you won't tell anyone."

Piper outstretched her pinky, "I won't. I promise."

"Not even your brother," Eun Sang added, linking her pinky with her friend's.

"Not even my brother." Piper agreed, and the two girls pressed their thumbs together as they linked pinkies, sealing the promise.

* * *

**_Appa: _Dad [informal]**

**_Abeoji: _Father [formal]**

**_haegeum: _a two-stringed vertical violin-like instrument used in many traditional Korean musical genres**

**_Sunbae: _Senior; specifically, someone who is in an upper grade or higher professional rank [formal]**

**_aegyo: _a type of style or behaviour of acting innocent and cute like a child (even when you're well beyond your childhood years)  
**

**_Komawo: _Thank you. [informal]**

**_Ka ja: _Let's go. [informal]**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello and thank you to new readers/followers, and a big thank you to those who favorited this story.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you guys left reviews; I want to know what you think. **

**Stay gold, my lovelies!**

* * *

Piper rubbed her eyes, not bothering to look at the angry red numbers on the alarm clock that sat on her bedside table. She knew it was well past midnight. She knew she'd be kicking herself for staying up so late the next morning, but still she didn't go to bed. A melody had been on repeat in her head for what felt like the entire day, and she'd be damned if she went to bed and lost it.

However, staying up so late had proven to be just as unproductive as going to sleep. Her fingers kept slipping, and she made more mistakes than normal. The time she spent fixing them meant she'd be staying up even longer.

There was a quiet knock at the door, and Piper looked over and through bleary eyes saw Nan creep in, a plate of cookies and a steaming mug on top of a serving tray.

"You shouldn't be up so late," Nan chided gently as she set the tray on the only clean part of Piper's desk.

"And yet you're bringing me things filled with sugar?" Piper quirked an eyebrow, giving a knowing smile to her adoptive grandmother.

"What can I say, I'm a softie for you kids," Nan patted Piper's head gently. "You haven't talked much about your new school; have you made any friends?"

"I've made a couple; I don't really know about Parker, though. We're not in a lot of classes together here."

"Just a couple?" Nan cocked her head to the side. "I would have figured you would have a lot more than that by now. Usually at this time you and your brother would be well-known at your school."

"Oh, we're well known," Piper game a small laugh, "but not in the sense that we have a lot of friends."

"Well, perhaps that's a good thing. Fewer friends mean closer friendships." Nan mused, petting Piper's hair softly. "Don't stay up too much later; I don't want you falling asleep during class."

"G'night, Nan," Piper replied, sipping on the hot chocolate.

She ended up asleep at her desk, a terrible crick in her neck from the awkward position. She was still rubbing it on the drive to school the next morning.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't sleep at your desk anymore," Parker quipped at the pair made their way to Jeguk, already having dropped Prosper off.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be so annoying," Piper grumbled.

Parker laughed, "I'd say you got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, but you didn't even sleep in your bed."

"Ha ha ha," she sneered, punching him in the leg.

Her mood hadn't improved as they walked to school, and perhaps got worse as they were bombarded by a bright flashing light.

"_Annyeong_!" A boy greeted them cheerfully. "I'm Jo Myung Soo, Jeguk High's 'fresh spring water'. Finally, I get to meet the twin transfers." He looked down at his camera, examining the picture he had just taken. "_U-wa_, that's amazing. You were totally unprepared and you still took a good picture."

"Yeah, we're like the Barney Stinson's of Jeguk High," Piper quipped, met with Myung Soo's blank face. "Oh, right. Wrong crowd."

"Aren't you friends with Choi Young Do?" Parker asked, realizing why the boy looked so familiar.

"I'm his best friend," Myung Soo replied proudly.

"I didn't think Young Do could have friends," Piper mused dispassionately.

"_Ya_, our Young Do isn't that bad," he protested.

She cocked her head to the side, "Tell me, where are you ranked at this school?"

"Last I checked, I was ranked 100th," Myung Soo noted, a smile on his face.

"How many students are in our year?" Piper wondered.

"100," Parker replied.

"That explains it," she remarked, brushing past the still grinning boy.

She made her way to the broadcast club room before school, hoping to catch Hyo Shin before he left to class. She poked her head through the door and saw him sitting at the long rectangular table just in front of the audio equipment.

"Well?" She questioned, an anticipatory grin on her face.

"Well what?" He returned, a hint of a smile behind his impassive expression.

"Did Eun Sang make it into the club or not?"

Hyo Shin tilted his head, debating something. "Call me _Sunbae _first. You don't use honorifics, and you don't seem too keen on them either. I just want to hear it once."

Piper jutted a finger to the door behind her, "I could go find Eun Sang and ask her, you know."

"Then why did you come find me?" Hyo Shin returned.

"I wanted to hear it from the source," Piper replied. "And to beat some sense into you if you rejected her."

Hyo Shin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Just once, Piper-ah. Or you could find Eun Sang, though I doubt you'll be able to meet up with her before your first class starts, and you don't seem like the patient type."

Piper pouted; he had her there. She could always text Eun Sang, but this was something she wanted to find out in person. Not to mention there was no telling whether or not Eun Sang would even check her messages before class; she was probably with (or avoiding) Kim Tan, or definitely avoiding Young Do.

Groaning, Piper rolled her eyes and slapped on a bashful smile. "_Sunbae-nim_, did you accept Eun Sang?"

Looking thoroughly pleased with himself, Hyo Shin quickly covered it with his usual indifference. "She's in, but don't tell her yet. It's only official if the whole club agrees. And thank you for asking so politely."

"_Aish, jinjja_?" Piper muttered, looking at him bemusedly. "Why am I friends with you?"

"I don't know," he smirked. "Is it because I'm so good looking?"

Piper threw her head back, turning towards the door. "_Aigoo_." She moaned, leaving a grinning Hyo Shin behind.

/

True to what Nan had said, Piper found herself falling asleep in class. She had tried pinching herself and biting her tongue, but she still felt her eyelids begin to droop. If she was in a better state of mind, she wouldn't have done what she did. However, her mind was fuzzy and her judgment questionable.

Closing her eyes, Piper leaned her head back so it rested on Young Do's desk "I give you full permission to annoy me right now," she told him quietly as the teacher droned on. "I need to stay awake."

Young Do leaned in, "But if I annoy you, you won't be able to pay attention." He whispered. Piper shrugged and he smirked. "Well, if you want me to annoy you, perhaps I should draw something on your face."

Her eyes flashed open, and though he didn't show it Young Do was slightly taken aback. It was the first time he'd ever seen them up close, the difference between her light hazel eyes and the rest of his classmates' dark brown ones were abundantly clear. Not only that, but the differences between her eyes and her brother's was also notable; Parker's eyes were greener than hers, something Young Do inquired about before his mind was able to stop him.

"I thought you and your brother were twins." He remarked.

"We are; we're fraternal." She replied, her eyebrows furrowing slightly at the abrupt change of subject. "Why do you ask?"

"Your eyes are different."

"What, you've stared deeply into my brother's eyes?" She asked rhetorically, throwing a half grin at him.

Young Do returned the smirk, "Mmhm, _oppa _and I are planning a spring wedding."

Piper shook her head slightly. "You're weird."

Young Do tapped her forehead with the end of his pen, causing her to wince from the unexpected action. She rubbed the spot and looked up at him in irritation.

"What? You said to annoy you." He remarked, looking the picture of innocence. "Perhaps you shouldn't free with your words; you never know how they'll be interpreted."

Piper huffed. "I just opened a can of worms, didn't I?"

"At least you recognize that." Young Do replied, sliding his notebook from under her head and tapped her forehead with it.

/

Piper traipsed down the hallway, making her way to class the next day. She saw a familiar face a few steps ahead of her, though the two hadn't been introduced yet.

"Lee Bo Na!" Piper called out, skipping towards the girl as she turned around.

"Do I know you?" The girl asked, confusion etched into her features.

"Piper McPherson, one of the new transfers. You're Yoon Chan Young's Bo Na, right?" She inquired, continuing without waiting for an answer. "You're just as pretty as he said."

Truthfully, Chan Young had said nothing. Piper hadn't even spoken to him since her first day. Everything she heard about Bo Na had come from Eun Sang after a long talk detailing her exact situation and who knew what a few days ago.

"You've talked to my Chan Young?" Bo Na asked suspiciously. "What did he say?"

"Well, that you were pretty, and that you got even cuter when you're jealous." Piper grinned. "But don't worry; you don't have anything to be jealous about where I'm concerned. Chan Young's not my type."

"_Ya_! What's wrong with my Chan Young?" She demanded.

"He's taken," Piper merely replied, earning a simple 'oh' from Bo Na.

Piper grinned as she walked with Bo Na to their first class, happy to be familiar with at least one other girl at that school. Eun Sang was wonderful, but all that testosterone was driving Piper crazy. Her smile dropped, however, as they rounded the corner and saw a group of students crowding the door to their classroom, Choi Young Do's lackeys preventing them from entering. Piper knew it was too good to be true that Young Do hadn't harassed Eun Sang the day before. It was wishful thinking that he had gotten bored and moved on.

"Aren't those Young Do's guys at the door?" Piper inquired, the thin line Bo Na's lips had been pulled to her answer.

Bo Na pushed her way to the crowd, Piper on her heels. "What is it?" Bo Na questioned the two cronies guarding the door. "Did Choi Young Do ask us out?"

"You should go in a little bit later." One of them informed her.

"**You** go in a little bit later." She fired back, pushing them aside so that she and Piper could walk through.

They found Eun Sang sitting at one of the tables, Young Do leaning against it. When she heard them come in, Eun Sang attempted to get up, but Young Do grabbed her wrist and forced her back in her seat.

"_Ya_, Choi Young Do. Did you rent the entire school for yourself?" Bo Na demanded. "Even if you did, this school actually belongs to Kim Tan. So, who are you to order us to leave?"

"Not to mention I remember clearly that my brother warned you against manhandling his sister's friend," Piper added spitefully. "So why are you doing so, in front of his sister of all things?"

Young Do hadn't taken his eyes of Eun Sang. "I wanted to know something about New Money." She looked up at him, the worry in her eyes causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Don't be nervous."

He bent down and grabbed her backpack off the floor, opening it roughly and dumping the items on the floor.

"What the heck are you doing?!" Eun Sang yelled, Bo Na and Piper running up with no real plan in mind.

"What are you doing?" Bo Na repeated.

"Good thing you two came." Young Do remarked, grabbing their bags away from them and overturning them, dumping their contents out as well.

"_Ya_! You psycho, are you crazy?!" Bo Na shouted, attempting to

"Choi Young Do, if you've scratched the screen you're dead." Piper hissed, bending down and picking her tablet off the floor, inspecting it closely.

"You see this?" Young Do went on, referencing the collection of items on the ground.

There was a clear distinction. Bo Na had expensive cosmetics and accessories, Piper had her expensive tablet and headphones, and both girls had expensive music players and cellphones. And then there was Eun Sang, who lacked all of those things.

"Look, you have never spent money. You're not New Money, right?" He interrogated, letting go of Bo Na's arm. "Lee Bo Na, is she really New Money? I heard you know her a bit."

"I don't know, you elementary kid! Why does it matter to you if she's New Money or not?!" She demanded, bending down alongside Piper to pick up her things.

"It does matter." Young Do insisted. "If someone on a welfare scholarship pretended to be New Money, then it means that she lied to the entire school. So, of course it matters. We are all victims. Right?"

Eun Sang, who looked as if she were fighting back tears, finally spoke. "If you have no intention of apologizing, would you get lost?"

Young Do laughed humorlessly, stepping forward. "If I ask 'who's looking after you, that you're messing with us', would it be too rude?" He asked lowly.

"Yes, and it'd be thinking too highly of yourself to believe you deserve that answer as well," Piper sneered, standing up as she glared at him.

"Move." Came a voice from the door, Chan Young striding inside. "What's wrong, Bo Na?" He asked, seeing his girlfriend picking her things off the floor. "What happened?"

"Chan Young, Choi Young Do has finally gone insane!" She pouted, standing up quickly.

He turned to Eun Sang and saw her terrified expression. Understanding what had happened he squared his jaw and looked to Young Do. "You preventing us from getting ready for class... it's starting to get annoying."

"Our transfer student... why do you have so many knights who look after you? It makes me want to compete with them." Young Do addressed Eun Sang, ignoring Chan Young. As she looked up, he turned to Chan Young. "Ah, I'll start acting out, in a twisted way."

"As opposed to what?" Piper bit out as Young Do stalked off, purposefully bumping into Chan Young as he left.

"Are you both alright?" Chan Young asked, looking between them. "Let's clean this."

He walked over to Eun Sang's things, helping Piper pack them back into the faded backpack Eun Sang always carried.

"So annoying!" Bo Na fumed, glaring at Eun Sang. "What the hell; is this all because of you?"

The students filed in silently, though there was no doubt they had witnessed and overheard everything. Eun Sang quickly bent down to finish shoving her things in her bag.

"Thanks, Lee Bo Na." Chan Young looked up at his girlfriend, no doubt having asked her to keep Eun Sang's situation a secret.

"I hate you the most." She fired back, eyeing him angrily.

"Let me do it, go and help Bo Na." Eun Sang requested, but Chan Young ignored her, earning another spiteful glance from his girlfriend.

Once her things were inside her bag, Eun Snag took it gratefully from her friends and sat in her seat. Piper took the empty spot next to her, throwing a grateful half-smile at Chan Young as he moved to his.

"Are you okay?" Piper asked her, painfully aware of the stares being directed at her friend. Eun Sang was silent. "Do you want me and my brother to fight him?"

Eun Sang gave a small smile, knowing her friend was saying it to make her feel better.

"Just stay by my side for today," Eun Sang requested. "I don't have to fight twice as hard to beat him when someone else is there."

And so Piper did as she was asked. When their class was dismissed, she walked with Eun Sang to her locker, keeping an eye out for any approaching tormenters. Though when they arrived there, they saw a sight that was far worse. Young Do had yet again cornered Joon Young against a locker, a piece of paper in Joon Young's hands. From the whispers of the surrounding students, Piper and Eun Sang determined the paper in his hands was a lawsuit against him.

"Please pretend this didn't happen." Joon Young pleaded.

"Hey, if you come out like this, it takes the fun out of it." Young Do informed him quietly. "Didn't you think that this could happen, before you hit me? How good of a guy did you think I was?"

"I'm begging you." He implored breathily.

"The doctor wrote me a letter to take 3-weeks of rest." Young Do continued, looking pleased with himself. "I was really in pain. Tears kept falling down because I was so sad..."

"I'm sorry. Please act as if it never happened."

"How can I do that?" Young Do smiled wider. "So, my friend," he flicked the paper in Joon Young's hand roughly, "take this and spend a lot of money on finding a really good lawyer."

"If I step in," Piper whispered to her friend, "he'll take it out on you, too. Won't he?" The pleading look from Eun Sang was all it took to keep her rooted to the floor.

"What do I have to do for you to stop?" Joon Young asked earnestly.

Young Do gave a small laugh. "Oh, you make my heart go soft. Then...how about kneeling down to me?" Joon Young blanched, and Young Do's smirk deepened as he shrugged. "Maybe I might just change my mind."

Gulping deeply, Joon Young stared yet again at the lawsuit in his hands. Shaking, he slowly went to his knees, supplicating his tormentor. Young Do grinned wildly at his victory, while Eun Sang and Piper looked on in horrified pity.

Tan breezed past them, making a beeline for Joon Young and Young Do. Piper noted with curiosity the way Young Do's smile faded as Tan stopped in front of Joon Young. "Hey, get up." Tan ordered the kneeling boy.

"It's none of your business." Joon Young ignored him.

"I said get up." Tan repeated more aggressively.

"Don't try to act kind! It's repulsive." Joon Young shot back. "You're exactly the same as Young Do."

Young Do gave a deep laugh, seemingly genuinely pleased. "Just as I expected, our Joon Young is a smart kid."

"Perhaps...did I used to bully you?" Tan wondered.

"Choi Young Do... he at least remembered." Joon Young sneered.

Tan grimaced. "I'm sorry. Instead, I'll repay you like this." Without any warning, he spun and threw a punch, landing it directly on Young Do's jaw. The surrounding students gasped in unison, and Eun Sang gave a tiny squeak as her hand flew to her mouth. Young Do looked at his attacker, lip bleeding. Tan looked at him audaciously. "Try to kneel me down since I, too, hit you."

"Can I do so?" Young Do questioned.

"Can't wait." Tan fired back.

"How do you think I'd feel?" He continued, stepping forward as if to begin a fully-fledged fistfight.

"There! What's going on?" A teacher's voice shouted, it echoing off the walls. The students scrambled out of the hallway, not wanting to get involved in the ensuing disciplinary action. "Who's fighting? What are you doing, now?"

"Come on, let's get out of here," Piper whispered, linking her arm in Eun Sang's and pulling her away.

* * *

_**Annyeong: Hello/Hi [informal]**_

_**U-wa: Wow [informal/slang]**_

_**Ya: ******____**Hey! (for either catching someone's attention or expressing displeasure) [informal]**_

_**Sunbae (-nim): ********Senior; specifically, someone who is in an upper grade or higher professional rank (the suffix 'nim' makes it more polite) [formal]**_

_**Aish: Korean interjection that can be used to express frustration or anger [informal/slang]**_

_**Jinjja: Really? [informal]**_

_**Aigoo: An exasperated exclamation, similar to 'geez' or 'oh my god'. [informal/slang]**_

_**Oppa: Brother (also used by females to address older male friends, males they have interest in, or boyfriend) [informal-ish]**_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello and thank you to new readers/followers, and a big thank you to those who favorited this story.**

**Thanks to Sidy for your review. There won't be a focus on romance, as I like the friendship between Eun Sang and Piper - as well as exploring the different friendships that could happen - however, there will be some developments on that front later on. It'll be slow moving, though.**

**I'd really appreciate it if you guys left reviews; I want to know what you think.**

**Stay gold, my lovelies!**

* * *

Piper sat with Prosper that night, helping him with his math homework. It was family movie night, and all the children's homework had to be done before it started or else they'd be confined to their room until it was finished. Prosper, who hated math, was struggling with some of the problems. He could do them, but it was writing out all the work that annoyed him. Like his sister, the 7 year old had little patience.

"Love, go put on something a bit nicer," their mother remarked, leaning on the couch they were seated on. "Your father's invited one of your school friends over."

"One of my friend's or one of Parker's?" Piper wondered.

"I'm not sure," her mother confessed. "He just said, 'a friend from Jeguk'. Regardless, if it's someone from your school, pajamas and a sloppy bun won't cut it."

"Alright," she sighed, standing up. "Can you help Prop finish the last couple of problems?"

"Of course," her mother smiled warmly, taking her spot next to the youngest McPherson.

Piper got ready reluctantly, grumbling that her father was bringing someone not in the family to movie night. He had never done it when they were at different schools; why was this time so different? She trudged down the stairs that led to the foyer, catching her brother at the foot of the steps. Though she only saw his back, she could tell his arms were folded across his chest.

Wondering who could have arrived that would cause her brother to have that kind of reaction, Piper made her way to the bottom and nearly fell off the final step. There, smiling pleasantly at her, was Choi Young Do.

"What the bitch?" She gaped, her eyes wide.

"Piper," Pádraic scolded from his place beside Young Do, giving him a hardy slap on the back. "Watch your language in front of our guest."

"He…he's the friend?" She sputtered.

"Of course," her father grinned sincerely. "He was so helpful picking out a motorcycle for Peyton's birthday, I thought it would only be right to repay him by inviting him here." Pádraic turned to Young Do, who was still acting the part of the benign school friend. "There's pizza in the kitchen; help yourself."

As soon as Pádraic had left, the kindly look had dropped from Young Do's face, the familiar smirk resurfacing.

"What are you doing here?" Piper demanded, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't draw her father's attention. "Go. Go home."

"After your father went out of his way to invite me? That would be rude," Young Do replied, acting offended as he pressed his hand to his chest.

"How did he even do that?" She furthered.

"At the motorcycle shop, after I helped him pick out a bike, we traded numbers." He explained, closing the distance between them. "And since I'm busy playing with Eun Sang at school, what better way to play with you than at your own home?"

"You really are terrible, Choi Young Do," she hissed, glaring daggers at him.

Young Do flashed them a smile. "I'll go in first. Don't miss the start of the movie."

Piper huffed as he moved past them, burning holes in his back as she watched him leave.

"Stop giving him so much attention." Parker sighed.

"Is it my fault he's always up in my face?" Piper questioned. "I mean, really? Who does this?"

"Have you ever wondered why he isn't in mine?" Parker returned. "I don't give him a reaction. You give him the satisfaction of annoying you; you're so obvious."

"So you expect me to just sit there and take it?"

"No, I expect you to treat him exactly like you would at any other school we've been to." Parker informed her. "Like he was no more bother than a pebble easily removed from your shoe."

Piper held back a deep groan and opted instead the clench her jaw. With one last encouraging look from her brother, Piper followed him into the living room and plopped into the only remaining seat, on the couch in between her brother and Young Do. She refrained from throwing any kind of look at Young Do – who was giving her the side-eye, his trademark smirk on his lips – and turned her attention instead to her younger brother.

Prosper had crawled into her lap, snuggling his head into her shoulder. Piper smiled and wrapped her arms around her little brother, silently thankful to him for providing a distraction. By the end of the movie, the pair had fallen asleep. Piper's head had fallen back against the couch cushions, Prosper's head still buried in the crook of his sister's neck.

"Oh, sweetheart, isn't that the cutest thing?" Pearl cooed as she looked at her sleeping children.

Pádraic gave a soft chuckle, "We should get them off to bed."

"I'll do it," Parker volunteered immediately.

His parents hadn't noticed, but Young Do was giving Piper a look that made his hair stand on end. Though his face was ostensibly blank, there was a curiosity brewing underneath it. An interest that Parker didn't want Young Do to have where Piper was concerned.

"Son, you'll break your back if you try to carry your sister," Pádraic disputed. "You take your brother; I'll take your sister."

"Sir," Young Do interrupted, "I can carry Piper. I've been training in Judo since I was young; I'm strong. I can handle it."

"If you're sure," Pádraic conceded. "To tell the truth, it would save straining my back as well."

Parker couldn't argue, not without raising his parents' suspicions. Not to mention any argument he could raise would be automatically brushed off as an overprotective brother. Thus, he was forced to lead Young Do upstairs, indicating his sister's room with his foot.

Young Do nudged the already ajar door open, sliding into her room easily. Her room was not at all how he imagined it to be. The walls were a pale purple and the room was dimly lit by a few lamps. Her audio mixing equipment was on a desk tucked in the corner of the room, and a collection of photos were pinned to a corkboard above it.

He laid Piper gently on the bed, pulling the blanket at the foot of her bed over her shoulders.

He could admit it to himself; it had put him out when Eun Sang had walked out on him that night. Sure, he had essentially blackmailed her into joining her, but it stung just the same. The call from Pádraic had seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back on his game. But now, standing in Piper's room, he wasn't so sure.

"Why did you have to fall asleep?" He mused, looking at Piper's sleeping figure. "Now I'm even more confused."

He gave one more cursory glance around the room, his eyes falling on a plastic bowl with numerous USB stick thrown carelessly in set next to one of her soundboards. Without a second thought, Young Do grabbed a random stick and pocketed it. He left with short goodbyes to the McPherson parents, promptly rushing home to see what exactly the USB stick contained.

/

"Ugh, I hate him! I hate him!" Piper groaned, lying back on the rectangular table of the broadcasting room. "I want to rip off his stupid eyebrows and throw them away."

"Let me guess," Hyo Shin began, sifting through proposal pages for future broadcasts. "Choi Young Do." Piper groaned again, pressing her hands over her eyes in annoyance. A small smirk appeared on Hyo Shin's lips, "What did he do this time?"

"He came to my house!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands off to look at his reaction. His normally impassive face was riddled with surprise. "Yeah, and what's worse is that he's been in my room, too."

"You didn't want him in your house, but you invited him to your room?" Hyo Shin questioned bemusedly.

"No!" Piper shook her head wildly. "He barged in on family movie night and I fell asleep. Mom told me he carried me to my room." She shuddered slightly, "just thinking about him pawing through my things creeps me out. And, now that I mention it, I think he stole on of my USB sticks with my music on it."

"One of them?" He repeated. "How do you know, if you have so many?"

"Because before he was at my house, there was a black one with blue stripes." She explained. "Now, no black stick with blue stripes."

"So why are you complaining about it here instead of yelling at him?" Hyo Shin quirked an eyebrow.

"Because according to my brother, I'm too obvious about being irritated by him, and the sooner I stop the sooner he'll get bored and move on."

Hyo Shin was silent for a moment. "Maybe."

"_Aish_," she groaned yet again.

The door opened, and for a split second Piper imagined it was Young Do coming to torment her again. However, when Bo Na's slight frame slipped into the room, Piper allowed herself to relax.

"What are you doing in here?" Bo Na wondered, genuinely confused to see Piper lying on the table. "Have you become one of _Sunbae-nim_'s fangirls?"

Parker propped herself on her elbows as she looked to Hyo Shin. "You have fangirls?" He smirked and gave a small shrug. "This is **high school** and you already have **fangirls**?"

"You still haven't told me what you're doing here," Bo Na interjected, sounding annoyed.

Piper sat upright, smoothing out her blazer. "I'm here because Hyo Shin is my friend; contrary to popular belief, a boy and a girl can be friends without any strings attached."

"Tch," Bo Na muttered disbelievingly. "Just don't make any noise while I do the lunch broadcast."

Bo Na glided past her, Piper exchanging amused grins with Hyo Shin as Bo Na sat at the microphone and began the message.

"_The morning of good-bye was walking towards me with a smile. We're like the sunlight at night. Sleep-walk of the night._ _We will be forgotten along with the curve_. 'Caramel's Words' by Park Young Joon." She recited. "Have a great lunch. This is Lee Bo Na."

With the short program over, she whirled around and strode over to Piper, linking their arms together, "Come. Let's get lunch together."

"I – okay," Piper agreed, half forced to because Bo Na had grabbed her bag and was pulling her towards the door. She looked back to Hyo Shin, "We'll talk later."

The pair walked out of the broadcasting room to find Tan and Eun Sang standing there. Her arm still linked with Piper's, Bo Na attempted to bring them both back inside the room.

"Anchorwoman Lee Bo Na!" They heard Chan Young's voice come from down the hall.

Bo Na stopped, sighing heavily. "God," she muttered under her breath. She slapped on a smile and turned to face her boyfriend.

"I liked your announcement." Chan Young offered her a drink. "I'm your fan."

"Thank you!" She simpered, taking the drink from her. "No pictures or autographs."

Tan gave a breathy laugh, "Please!" Eun Sang began walking towards her friend, but Tan stuck his arm out to block her path. "Where do you think you're going?" He began to say, fumbling halfway through when he saw her duck right under his arm.

Eun Sang walked right up to them, a smile on her face. "I'm sorry Bo Na." She apologized, turning to Chan Young as the smile completely dropped. "Chan Young! Can you tell me what will be on the midterms again?" She nodded behind her, a meaningful look on her face explaining she needed an escape.

Chan Young caught on quickly, glancing behind her at the slightly fuming Tan. "Come with me." He nodded, glancing momentarily at his girlfriend. "I will see you in a bit."

She huffed as they walked off. "Cha Eun Sang? Oh my God!"

"Just remember what I said not five minutes ago," Piper reminded her. "They **can** just be friends."

Bo Na threw her an accusatory glance as she steered her new acquaintance towards the lunch room. They had almost passed Tan, who was still standing nearby, when Bo Na stopped short.

"Hey, Kim Tan!" She turned, and he finally looked away from Eun Sang's retreating figure. "I really don't like you following me like this. You still haven't gotten over me?"

"Wait, did you two date?" Piper asked, gesturing between her two classmates.

Bo Na sighed, "It was forever ago. So, Kim Tan, are you still not over me?"

Tan laughed, a grin forming on his lips. "I guess not." He replied, and it seemed like Piper was the only one who heard the sarcasm.

"I knew it." She lamented. "Hey, Kim Tan! I'm really happy with Chan Young right now."

"You were happy with me too." He threw back at her, his voice still playful. "You liked me a lot."

"A lot? No, I liked you a little bit." Bo Na argued, her voice fading off.

He gave another short laugh, momentarily catching Piper's eyes as she desperately tried to stop herself from laughing. "You're still cute, Bo Na."

"At least you have eyes." Bo Na muttered, and determination jumped back into her voice. "Just in case you were wondering, I don't like you anymore."

"But I like you." He insisted.

"Hey! I have a boyfriend!" She shouted.

"Does he know that I like you?" Tan wondered, finding it hard to stop himself from laughing as he noticed Piper turning red as she attempted to hold down the laughs.

"He shouldn't know that!" Bo Na shouted. "_Aish, jinjja_. Can you get over me?"

At that, Bo Na spun and left Tan behind. Piper finally allowed some of the laughter to escape as they walked off.

"Oh, Bo Na," Piper sang as she strode alongside her new friend. "I envy you. What a world you must live in."

/

"It was easily the most horrifying thing I've ever experienced," Piper remarked, sitting with Prosper at the café where Eun Sang worked.

Prosper was busy munching on a slice of cake and slurping down some juice as Piper nursed a cappuccino. They hadn't had much time to spend talking at school, so Piper decided to catch up while Eun Sang worked.

"I can't imagine him being in my room," Eun Sang shuddered as she wiped down a nearby table.

"And I doubt you'll ever have to, since there's probably a 1 in 100 chance he'd step foot in the house you're in," Piper mused. "I, on the other hand, don't have the luxury of having his nemesis nearby to chase him off."

Eun Sang sighed, "Well, having that person nearby isn't as beneficial as you'd think. Even though his mother's breathing down my neck, and if she suspects anything we could be thrown out, he still tries to act the same as if we're at school."

"You know that if it gets too overwhelming and you need to get away, you can always stay at my place," she offered.

"_Komawo_," Eun Sang told her, smiling gratefully. She patted Prosper lightly on the head. "How's the cake?"

"_Mashita_," Prosper replied, gleefully shoveling another forkful into his mouth.

"Just don't tell mom and dad about this," Piper warned him, glancing up at Eun Sang as she walked behind the counter. "They'd kill me if they found out I was giving him sugar this late."

Eun Sang gave a wry smile that faded into a slight confusion. She pulled out her cellphone and sighed deeply as she saw the name on the screen. Shoving the phone back into her pocket, she walked back out to the café floor. Piper saw her stop short and the color drain from her face, seeing Young Do sitting calmly at one of the tables.

"Stay here for a moment," Piper instructed her brother, mentally punching herself for not noticing his presence earlier.

"You still don't answer the phone." He remarked, ignoring Piper as she walked up.

"How did you know I was here?" Eun Sang questioned, shifting uncomfortably as she looked to Piper. "Do you think he followed you here?"

"That'd mean he'd have to know where I was coming from," Piper reasoned, eyebrows knitted as she stared at Young Do. "Did you know where I was coming from?"

Young Do chuckled. "You underestimated me. What surprised me the most when I was getting to know you was...that you got rich because you worked so hard."

Eun Sang took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever he would throw her way. "What do you want to say?"

"Nothing." He chuckled again. "I'm just here because I'm lonely." His face fell slightly, and for half a second the girls wondered if he was being sincere. "Oh yeah," he caught himself, pulling something out of his jacket pocket.

He threw the item to Piper, who miraculously caught it given that she was unprepared. When she looked down, she saw the black USB stick with blue stripes. She gave a small huff – he **had **stolen it.

"It wasn't the worst thing I've heard." He quipped, awaiting her reaction.

Piper cleared her throat and adjusted herself stiffly, attempting nonchalance. "Thanks."

Young Do smirked, "I didn't mean it as a compliment."

"I didn't take it as a compliment." She replied, copying Hyo Shin's impassive expression.

This caught Young Do off guard; he had expected an eye twitch or a lip curl, anything really. Knowing without a doubt he'd get a reaction from Eun Sang, he returned his focus to her. "I dropped the lawsuit."

"Really?" She wondered.

"I told you that I would." He smiled at her, enjoying the way she became both hopeful and wary at just a few words.

"What did you tell her?" Tan's voice spoke from a few feet away. They turned to see him leaning against the door frame, none of them having heard it open.

"This is cheating." Young Do grumbled as Tan strode up to them.

"How did you know this place?" He demanded, sitting in the seat opposite to Young Do.

Young Do threw his phone on the table, an aggravated sneer on his face. "She already asked me that question."

"And what did you tell her?" Tan pressed.

"I know this place." Young Do informed him "I know that she works at the chicken place, the pizza place and the restaurant. I just kept it to myself."

"So what? You wash dishes at your hotel every weekend and during every school break." Tan retorted.

"Stop pretending that you don't understand." He replied.

Tan struggled for a response, deciding instead to focus his attentions on Eun Sang. "Aren't you going to work?"

Eun Sang looked defeated, Piper looked incensed. Nevertheless, the two walked away from the table and left the boys to their own devices.

"Your shift is over, right?" Piper wondered, Eun Sang nodding her response. "Do you want a ride home?"

"I'd appreciate that," she told her friend, pulling out a wad of money and handing it to her boss. "This should cover those two guys' drinks."

Piper looked on in confusion, wondering why exactly Eun Sang was being so nice to the two boys who had done nothing but give her grief the moment they had entered her work. Piper took her brother by the hand and guided him out of the café, walking side by side with her friend.

"Why did you do that?" She questioned. "I mean, you're being nice when they're acting like jerks."

Eun Sang shrugged. "It just felt like the right thing to do."

Piper threw her arm around her friend's shoulder. "Cha Eun Sang, you will forever be a better person than I."

She noticed the orange and black bike parked in front of the café, and an impish smile appeared. Unwinding the arm from Eun Sang's shoulder, Piper pulled her phone out to make an anonymous tip to the police. "Hello, I'd like to report a motorcycle illegally parked in front of the Mango Six Café. Thanks."

Eun Sang looked to her with wide eyes. "What did you do that for?"

"Well, he needs to be punished somehow," Piper chirped. "Not even Choi Young Do is above the law Besides, even if I didn't call it would've gotten towed. Apparently, someone else made the same call before I could."

* * *

_**Aish: Korean interjection that can be used to express frustration or anger [informal/slang]**_

_**Sunbae (-nim): ********Senior; specifically, someone who is in an upper grade or higher professional rank (the suffix 'nim' makes it more polite) [formal]**_

_********__**Jinjja: Really? [informal]**_

**_Komawo: Thank you. [informal]_**

**_Mashita: Tasty [informal]_**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello and thank you to new readers/followers, and a big thank you to those who favorited this story!**

**tita morris (Guest): ****Thanks so much for your review! I'm really glad you like Piper's character; don't worry, there's some Piper/Young Do interactions in this chapter that once again shows their dynamic. You'll also be hearing Piper complain a lot about the manhandling in the drama in other chapters. That kind of stuff irritates me too, and it's nice to vent it through Piper.**

**Guest: I really appreciate your review! I do get a little discouraged at the lack of reviews, but I just chalked it up to a smaller fanbase than the other fictions that I've written. I truly appreciate your kind words! Thank you!**

**As for the rest of the readers, I always want to hear what you think. Feel free to leave reviews!**

**Stay gold, my lovelies!**

* * *

Piper and Parker walked solemnly side-by-side on the way to lunch the next day. Piper had filled her twin brother in on the recent happenings involving Eun Sang, Young Do, and Tan. She was still ranting about it the next day.

"It's like they're playing some sordid game of tug-of-war and Eun Sang has the misfortune to be the rope." Piper grumbled.

"But that would imply that Young Do likes her." Her brother rebutted.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he does in his own twisted way." She argued. "After all, she fights back without having her parents' last name to back her up. He probably sees her as some sort of challenge, which makes it all the more cringe-worthy. And you're never around to help out like you promised her you would."

"In my defense, she's never actually called to ask me to help," Parker told her. "She calls you."

"Still, it'd be nice if you stepped in once in a while," she muttered as they walked through the cafeteria doors.

"I said get up!" They heard Tan yell, and their eyes – along with everyone else's in the cafeteria – went to the table occupied by Young Do and Eun Sang.

Seeing that Eun Sang was shaking like a leaf, the twins rushed over to assist her. "What is going on here?" Piper demanded.

"Eun Sang, _kwaenchanh-a_?" Parker asked, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Bolstered by the appearance of her friends, yet still shaking, Eun Sang slowly stood up with her plate in hand. Young Do threw his chopsticks against the table with an angry clang, growing angrier by the passing second. He stood up, his hands shoved in his pockets, and closed the distance between him and Tan.

"Where did you learn your table manners?" Young Do questioned, his voice dark. "Should I talk about your discipline at home in front of everyone?"

Tan didn't back down, though whatever Young Do was implying had taken some of his bite away. "We were going to eat together. Let's go."

He strode over and took Eun Sang by the wrist, guiding her away from the table. The twins followed close behind, wanting to keep an eye on the situation as well as take care of their friend. Neither of them expected Young Do to let them go easily, but they never expected the method he had decided to use.

Young Do stuck his foot out, tripping Eun Sang to the floor. She gave a shriek as she tumbled to her knees, her food spilling off her plate and splattering against her uniform. Parker clenched his jaw, understanding what his sister had been talking about. He made a move towards Young Do, but was beaten there by Tan.

"Bastard." Tan growled, gripping the front of Young Do's sweater tightly in his fist.

"Don't!" Eun Sang begged, running over to him. "Don't. I just fell. Don't."

"Eun Sang-ah, come here," Piper said, taking her friend gently by the arms and steering her away from them. "Don't get between them, especially because fists might start flying."

"You let your guard down because I've been nice to you." Young Do informed her dangerously.

Tan shook him roughly, hand still knotted in Young Do's sweater. "I'm going to kill you."

"Tan, don't sink to his level," Parker cautioned, stifling his own urge to throw a punch. "You're better than that."

"Did I make Cha Eun Sang kneel instead of you?" Young Do wouldn't let up, acting as if he wanted to start a brawl. "It's more than you expected isn't it?"

Tan reared back, ready to hit Young Do, but was stopped by a combination of Parker holding back his punch and Eun Sang breaking free of Piper's grasp and running up to them.

"Please take me out." She entreated, close to tears. "Please."

Tan was motionless, his lip curled in a silent growl as he started down Young Do. He shoved Young Do away, wrenching is arm free of Parker's grasp and taking Eun Sang by the wrist to lead her out of the cafeteria.

As she watched them leave, Piper turned back to Young Do. He expected her to yell at him, insult and scold him for his mistreatment of her friend. Instead, he was met with disappointment and a hint of sadness.

"Must you be so petty?" She questioned, shaking her head as she walked out of the cafeteria.

She pulled out her phone to message Eun Sang, not following after Tan and Eun Sang because she knew they should have some time alone.

'Are you alright?' Piper wrote.

'I will be, I think.' Was Eun Sang's reply. 'I'm going to the roof. Will you wait until I come down?'

'Of course,' Piper replied, parking herself by the stairwell to the roof.

"Are you okay?" Parker asked, walking up to his sister.

"I'm worried," she confessed. "All this stuff being thrown at Eun Sang is just too much."

Parker sighed, sidling up next to his twin. "I'll say it again: this school is a lot different than the ones we've been to."

"Do you think it was a mistake to come here?" She wondered. "Should we have gone to a lesser-named school?"

"And leave Eun Sang to face all this alone?" Parker quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm not so sure we're helping," Piper sighed. "If anything, I think we're making it worse."

"I doubt that, and now is not the time for you to act all mopey," Her brother nudged her in the shoulder. "Buck up and help your friend. You can deal with all the other stuff later."

The corner of Piper's mouth quirked up, "Stop trying to be so smart."

"Who's trying, sister dear?" Parker quipped, shoving off the banister he had been leaning on. "Let me know if you need me, okay?"

Piper nodded, giving her brother a grateful smile as he walked off. She stood there, enrapt in her own thoughts as she waited for Eun Sang to come down from the roof.

"How come you are answering this call?" She heard a familiar voice come from nearby.

She turned to see Young Do, phone to his ear, looking displeased. Piper was taken aback – how long had he been standing there and how much of her conversation with her brother had he overheard? She'd done a good job of not showing her aggravation; would he use her self-doubt to instigate her to start fighting back again?

"You're on the rooftop!" He declared, seeing Eun Sang descend the stairwell. "What were you two doing on the rooftop? Cha Eun Sang is now coming down from the rooftop." He paused, listening to the voice on the other end of the call. "I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I'm going to hang up now."

Eun Sang reached the bottom step and Piper came up to stand next to her. Without words, she asked if Eun Sang was okay. The solemn look on Eun Sang's face was enough affirmation that she wasn't okay. The two girls faced Young Do, who looked at them expectantly, but neither of them spoke. Instead, they walked on, fully intent on passing him.

Young Do reached out and grabbed Eun Sang by the wrist. She flung his hand off angrily, and Piper noted that he looked stunned at that action. Piper wondered if he expected anything different, after tripping and smearing Eun Sang with her own lunch.

"Eun Sang-ah," Piper spoke, taking Eun Sang's arm in hers, "let's get you cleaned up."

Eun Sang allowed herself to be steered towards the bathroom, and together the girls tried to rid her uniform of the offending stains. Through the mirror they saw Bo Na walk in, a shopping bag in her hand.

"I've been looking for you all this time!" Bo Na cried as she walked up to them.

"Why?" Eun Sang wondered.

"Why? Change into these." Bo Na thrust the bag into her hands. "I've looked through your locker."

Eun Sang gingerly took the bag, "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me." She retorted, no real venom in her bite. "I'm doing it because Chan Young would do it anyway."

"Still," Piper interjected, "it's a nice thing to do. I'm sure Chan Young would be grateful to you as well."

"Of course he would," Bo Na agreed.

Piper laughed, always in awe of Bo Na's infallible self-assurance. She looked to Eun Sang and jutted her head towards the bathroom stalls. "Go change; I'll keep trying to get the stains out."

"Thanks," Eun Sang gave a shy grin as she did as suggested.

"Make sure you use hot water," Bo Na advised, stepping beside Piper to rub out other stains.

"I know Eun Sang already said it, but thanks Bo Na-yah," Piper smiled. "Even if it's just because of your boyfriend."

Bo Na didn't respond, though Piper did catch her looking a bit pleased with herself.

"How come you don't look good in anything you wear?" Bo Na muttered as Eun Sang walked out of the stall, dressed in street clothes. "However, did you get caught by Choi Young Do?"

"I'm not sure." Eun Sang confessed.

"Why did you come to a school that's out of your reach, in the first place?" She interrogated, and Eun Sang looked down, knowing she couldn't give an honest answer.

"Wow, there's a ruckus going on!" Kang Ye Sol – one of Bo Na's friends – exclaimed as she strode into the bathroom. "Tan and Choi Young Do are in the corridor..."

She was interrupted as Yoo Rachel – a 'frenemy' of Bo Na's – stormed in behind her. She strode up to Eun Sang and grabbed her roughly by the hair.

"Hey! Are you out of your mind?!" Bo Na exclaimed, grabbing Rachel's arm.

"You, shut up!" Rachel growled, pulling Bo Na's hand off.

"Hey, you psycho," Piper snarled, prevented from doing anything to Rachel when Bo Na held out her hand.

"This... how dare you!" Bo Na shouted.

"Talk to me, and let this go." Eun Sang spoke calmly. Eyes wide in anger, Rachel flung Eun Sang's head away as she released her. "What is it?" Eun Sang questioned, surprising everyone by wearing a sly smile. "It must be something big seeing as you grabbed me by my hair."

"Do you realize what's going on at school because of a worthless girl like you?" Rachel shouted. "Tan and Young Do are hitting each other! What are you going to do?"

"Really?" Bo Na exclaimed.

"What?" Eun Sang matched her volume.

"What is with these boys and violence?" Piper bemoaned as the girls rushed out of the bathroom to stop the fray.

They pushed through the crowd to find Tan and Young Do, bleeding from multiple wounds, being held apart from each other. Though his back was to the crowd, Piper could see Hyo Shin standing between them, no doubt attempting to act as the mediator. Piper locked eyes with her brother – one of the students holding Tan back – and wondered what had happened.

"What do we do? It's the Board Director!" One of the female students shrieked, and the students parted to allow her through.

"Again?" The woman asked incredulously. "It's you two again? Your punches have gotten better since the last time. Wow, I'm so proud of you." She didn't sound the least bit proud, her words hard and razor sharp. "Follow me, the two of you!"

Casting final glares at each other, Tan and Young Do stalked off, following their school's director. Piper stalked up to Parker and Hyo Shin, almost at her wit's end from the violent display that had occurred.

"Did they used to be like this?" Piper wondered as she stepped up to Hyo Shin.

"Believe it or not, they used to be friends." He told her.

"I don't believe it," she remarked, turning to her brother. "Are you okay? No stray fists hit you?"

Parker shook his head, and Hyo Shin looked mildly affronted. "What about me?" Hyo Shin wondered teasingly. "You're not worried if I got hurt or not?"

"You weren't holding back one of the homicidal maniacs," she remarked.

"That's fair," he conceded.

/

Piper was up late again, hunched over her desk as she worked on yet another mix. She heard her door creak open and she half expected to see Nan walk in with another dray of late-night snacks, but instead saw Prosper waddle in.

"Hey, kiddo," she greeted softly. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I don't feel good," he whined, his teddy bear clutched to his chest.

"You didn't want to go see mom or dad?" Piper asked, getting up from her seat and kneeling in front of him.

"You're the only one still up," he replied.

Piper gave a small smile, "Probably. Where do you not feel good?"

Prosper pointed to his stomach, a frown forming on his face.

Piper nodded, "Go get in bed; I'll bring you something to settle your stomach."

He did as he was told, and soon Piper came in with a small glass of ginger ale. She set it on his side table dresser and petted his hair softly.

"Will you read to me?" He asked, his tiny voice quiet.

"What do you want to hear?"

"Robin Hood," he smiled a wide grin.

Piper chuckled and walked to his tiny bookcase, pulling out the worn copy of Howard Pyle's tales of the famous outlaw. She nestled beside her younger brother, Prosper cuddling under his sister's arms, as she read.

"In merry England in the time of old," Piper narrated, "when good King Henry the Second ruled the land, there lived within the green glades of Sherwood Forest, near Nottingham Town, a famous outlaw whose name was Robin Hood. No archer ever lived that could speed a gray goose shaft with such skill and cunning as his, nor were there ever such yeomen as the seven-score merry men that roamed with him through the greenwood shades…"

She read on, and soon her recitations were replaced with soft breathing; both she and her brother had fallen asleep.

/

"You look terrible," Hyo Shin remarked as he met Piper in front of the school that morning.

"You're a great friend," she muttered sarcastically.

He gave a wry smile. "I know."

"I was up all night taking care of my little brother," she informed him. "He didn't feel good and didn't want to wake our parents, so he came and got me."

"Are you going to fall asleep in class?" He teased.

"Probably."

"Don't; I don't want people thinking I'm friends with a slacker." He joked. "Go up to the roof during lunch time; it's quiet there, and you can probably get some sleep so you can make it through the rest of the day."

"_Komawo_," Piper gave a small smile.

"_Komawo _what?" Hyo Shin prodded with an impish smirk.

"I'm not using honorifics with you," Piper chuckled. "That was a one-time only deal and you know it."

"You can't blame me for trying," he shrugged.

"Yes, I can," she replied, nudging him in the shoulder.

As she sat down in her first class, her text alert went off. It was Eun Sang telling her she'd be absent that day. When Piper asked her why, Eun Sang merely replied she needed some time to herself, and asked for Piper to stop by her work later that day.

Class began, and Piper struggled to stay awake as their teacher began the lesson.

"Gatsby, who was born into a poor family and didn't get a proper education..." Their teacher began. "While he was imagining his glamorous future self, he's a character that finally ends up believing his imaginations as being true. Also, instead of stopping at that, he falls in love with Daisy, a girl from an upper class family, and to make his love come true, he tries to earn money in any way that he can. By doing so, he becomes extremely rich at a young age."

As she droned on, Piper became acutely aware of the many eyes burning holes in Eun Sang's empty desk. Tan, Young Do, Chan Young, and even Rachel. If their eyes could literally burn holes in Eun Sang's desk, it would have been a pile of ash by now.

"But his wealth is just a target of people's suspicion and jealousy. Also, his embellished lies about his past are a target of ridicule. Even so, Gatsby believes in his made-up past, present, and even future...and he vows to change his reality to match his dreams."

"For the performance evaluation, I'll be checking your essay. So, be sure to turn it in by next time..." The dismissal chimes sounded, and Tan was the first one to bolt out of his seat.

/

Young Do stood in front of his locker, staring at nothing as his mind was wrapped up in Eun Sang's absence.

"_Ya_, Lee Hyo Shin," Parker's voice sounded down the hall, and he jogged up to the other boy. "Have you seen my sister? I can't find her anywhere and she's not answering my texts."

"She's probably on the roof," Hyo Shin replied. "She stayed up late taking care of your brother. She was in a bad mood this morning, so you should probably let her be."

Young Do overheard the interaction, and a plan began quickly formulating in his mind. It had become more and more difficult to get a reaction out of Piper – he had grown amused by the way she looked when she was annoyed with him – and she also would know where Eun Sang was. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, Young Do strode through the hallway and up the stairs to the rooftop.

When he arrived, however, he found her sitting on the ground as she leaned against one of the benches, her head rolled to the side and her eyes closed. Her chest rose and fell steadily, indicating she was asleep.

Young Do deflated. He didn't know where this softness for sleeping girls came from, or if it even applied to any other girls, but it awoke something protective within him. His previous plan out the window, he instead sat beside her.

He said nothing, made no attempt to wake her; he merely sat there, sneaking occasional glances at her from the corner of his eyes. If Cha Eun Sang was a flower, Piper was the bee – protecting the delicate flower from other insects that would eat it up, and if one could get past the sting there was the promise of honey.

Moments passed before she woke up; her eyes barely opened as she sat up, and thus she didn't noticing Young Do sitting beside her. She began stretching, rubbing her sore neck and back, making tiny moans as she worked out the stiffness.

_Why is she making those noises? _Young Do thought to himself, shifting in his place as she unknowingly bared her neck to him. _Doesn't she know I'm here? Stupid girl._

Piper exhaled deeply and opened her eyes, jumping slightly when she saw Young Do sitting beside her.

"Why were you sleeping?" Young Do asked. "It's the middle of the day."

"I was up late last night." She replied simply.

"Was your homework too hard for you?" He questioned mockingly.

Piper stood up, brushing off her skirt. "You just don't give up, do you?"

Young Do stood up as well, his height blocking out some of the sun. "Eun Sang wasn't in class today." He remarked. "You're her friend; where is she?"

"She's taking a day off." She kept her answers short and simple. It was the easiest way for her to avoid any kind of confrontation with him; if her brother was right, Young Do would get bored and leave.

Young Do folded his arms and tilted his head to the side, looking at Piper disapprovingly. "Playing with Eun Sang is more fun than playing with you. At least _she_ has some kind of reaction." He smirked, "You've become worse than drying paint."

"It's only more fun because you like her." Piper observed, silently scolding herself for biting back.

The smirk stayed, but coldness crept up behind it. "What?"

"Oh please, Choi Young Do, you're so transparent." Piper remarked. "Or, could it be, you don't realize it yet?" Young Do's jaw tightened. "Perhaps you've retreated so far into your bully shell that you've started to think that you're incapable of feeling any of the more tender emotions. And because you're so awful at expressing said emotions, the only way you know how to do so is by mocking, and annoying, and intimidating."

"Wow," Young Do mused, his voice laced with sarcasm, "You must be the only one who understands me."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I care." Piper returned. "Because, unlike Eun Sang, I'm not going to fan the flames. You like Eun Sang because she's a challenge; she's not on the same monetary level as you are, and you've never actually had to associate with someone on that level, so she's become like a Rubik's cube you need to solve. Or, perhaps, because she neither **has **nor **cares **about money or status, you've realized she's the kind of girl you want to be with. The only problem is that you've treated her so poorly that she's terrified of you, so any possibility of that has been thrown out. Not to mention she likes Kim Tan."

Piper went to leave, but Young Do grabbed her by the arm, preventing her from going anywhere.

Piper looked at his hand wrapped firmly around her forearm. "You know, I've seen that move on dramas but I never actually thought guys used it in real life."

"Don't talk about things you don't know." Young Do ordered darkly.

"But you're the one that said I'm the only one who understands you, remember?" She reminded him, looking up to see the tightness of his jaw. "Word of advice: next time, instead of lashing out, try being sincere. It might be difficult, but I think it'll do you some good."

"Liar." He stated.

"What?" She asked, not sure if she heard him correctly.

"Liar," Young Do repeated, letting go of her arm. "You said you didn't care, and yet you're giving me advice on how to better myself. It sounds like you do care."

"Perhaps," she conceded, not wanting to start a new argument. "Maybe I do care. Or maybe I pity you. Maybe both. Or maybe I don't want to see my friend tormented day after day. Pick the answer that suits you best. I'll leave first."

She strode off, leaving Young Do behind to mull over what she had spoken.

* * *

**_Kwaenchanh-a: Are you okay? It's okay. (Can mean either depending on context and phrasing.) [informal]_**

**_Komawo: Thank you. [informal]_**

**____****Ya: Hey! (for either catching someone's attention or expressing displeasure) [informal]**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello and thank you to new readers/followers, and a big thank you to those who favorited this story! This chapter's mostly going to be focused on Piper and Eun Sang, but don't worry - Young Do makes an appearance!**

**chingydagirl: ****Thanks so much for your awesome review! I admit, I have a soft spot for Hyo Shin; he's one of the characters I think needs a lot of hugs. But fear not, your shipper heart won't be crushed. **

**sidy (Guest): Thanks for your compliment! However, from its inception, this story was always intended as a Young Do/OC pairing. I've said before that romance wasn't going to be the focus of this story, as I want to instead focus on cultivating the friendship between Piper and Eun Sang as well as other students of Jeguk. While I fully support your ship, this story isn't going to involve it. The great thing about fanfiction, though, is that there are plenty stories where YD/ES is the focus. I'm sorry you're unsatisfied with the YD/OC pairing of this story, but I hope you continue reading nonetheless. If not, I hope you find another story that you like! 3**

**As for the rest of the readers, I always want to hear what you think. Feel free to leave reviews!**

**Stay gold, my lovelies!**

* * *

When school ended, Piper made her way to Eun Sang's work. She saw Eun Sang standing behind the counter when she arrived, and Eun Sang gave a warm smile when she saw her friend.

"Did you get a chance to clear your head?" Piper asked.

Eun Sang sighed, "I think it's cloudier than ever."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, "No, but I'd like it if you stayed here for a while. I don't know who's going to show up and having you around means a quick getaway."

Piper threw her friend a wry smile, "I see how it is. Here I was investing so much in our friendship and you're just using me for my car."

Eun Sang laughed along, "Go sit down; I'll bring you your drink."

Piper sat alone while Eun Sang worked; occasionally the girls would be able to catch a few minutes together to talk – though they made sure to keep away from weighty topics. Piper copied the class notes that Eun Sang missed into her friend's notebook and started on that night's homework.

Soon, night fell. Piper's homework was done, all the notes copied. The café was almost emptied of patrons.

"Yes, Boss." Eun Sang spoke into her cellphone. "I'll close up and leave." She hung up the phone and began cleaning off one of the tables.

"Excuse me." One of the remaining patrons called out. "There's a hair in the drink."

"That can't be. Just one minute." She walked over and picked up the plastic juice cup, holding it up and examining it closely.

"There isn't one?" He questioned.

"Yes." She examined it closer, wondering if she missed something.

"I was sure there was. Then, can you give me your number?" A slow smile spread across his face, his friend looking on with amusement.

The customer-friendly disposition Eun Sang wore dropped away as she set the cup back on the table. "It's closing time."

"Honestly, you could give your number." The friend insisted. "We always come here."

"You're done drinking this, right?" Eun Sang reached over to take his cup away.

The first patron clasped his hand around Eun Sang's wrist, "Just wait a minute."

"Alright, guys, it's time you left." Piper interjected, walking over. "My friend needs to close up the store."

"You too, give us your number as well." The patron pointed at her.

Piper stared at him coldly. "That wasn't a request; that was an order. You need to leave."

"If you won't give your number, do you want to get mine?" The guy was unrelenting.

"Everything is recorded on the CCTV and if you continue, I will call the police." Eun Sang threatened, a smile on her face.

The two guys laughed, clearly not believing her.

"The police are here." A deep voice came from nearby.

Young Do strode up and swiftly kicked the chair of the patron grabbing Eun Sang's wrist, causing his to let go of her as he crashed to the floor. His friend stood up, ready to fight.

"This jerk..." the friend muttered, scowling at Young Do.

"Oh!" Young Do pointed at the guy, smiling menacingly in recognition. "It's been a long time. It's our first time meeting since middle school, right?" He held out his hand for a handshake. "Oh, nice to see you, friend."

"Choi Young Do?" The guy sputtered, rushing to grab his friend and make a hasty escape.

"Hey, I treated you so well. Why did you grow up to be a thug?" Young Do questioned, his hand still outstretched as they stumbled over themselves trying to leave. Once they were gone, he lowered his hand and looked at Eun Sang disparagingly. "If you were going to be taken advantage of, it should be by me and not by those petty bastards."

"There are so many things wrong with that statement I don't even know where to begin," Piper muttered.

"I can't accept guests, it's closing time." Eun Sang informed him, righting the chair he had knocked over.

"If I saved you, you should say thank – "

"You're the bad guy." She cut him off. "You're the reason I can't go to school. Why am I being pestered by you? Why are you bothering me?"

He was silent for a moment. "I'm not bothering you." He spoke quietly. "Piper, leave us for a moment."

Had Young Do actually taken what Piper had said earlier to heart? She scanned his face for any ulterior motive, and turned to Eun Sang.

"I'll be right outside. Yell if you need me."

Piper propped the door open with a small rock as she waited outside, listening in so she could rescue Eun Sang if things turned sour. Once they were alone, Young Do cleared his throat loudly.

"Would this be a bit bothering? I went to the house you used to live at." He informed her, causing Piper's head to drop in disappointment.

"What?" Eun Sang was startled.

"But then listen," he continued. "Number 1: You lived in that ragged house. Number 2: but now you live in Pyongchangdong. That's why we met in front of the convenience store. Number 3, but the way I look at it, you are a welfare scholar for sure. That's why, Number 4 – "

"You're right, I'm not New Money." Eun Sang cut him off yet again. "You're right that I'm on a welfare scholarship."

"Right." He said, just barely hiding the surprise of her admission in his voice. "That's what I'm saying."

"So what are you going to do?" She pressed. "Are you going to chase me out of Jeguk High?"

Young Do was quiet. "No, because I started to like you."

Eun Sang blinked, unsure if he was serious or if this was a trap of some sort. "What?"

"But you don't like me, right?" He asked, and was met only with silence.

Empty and embarrassed, Young Do turned and walked out of the café, not sparing Piper a second glance as he passed her

"You confessed, didn't you?" She called after him, though they both knew the answer.

Young Do didn't reply, continuing his walk to his motorbike.

"Choi Young Do," Piper called, this time he stopped, sending a withering look at her. "Sincerity looks good on you. You should wear it more often."

/

Piper and Parker drove Eun Sang to school the next morning. Piper stuck close by her when she could, acting as a buffer against the attentions of Tan and Young Do, as well as the whispers that had started coming from their classmates.

Rachel managed to corner them as Eun Sang switched out books at her locker, her standard sneer plastered on her face.

"I thought you'd stopped coming to school. I guess I was wrong." She pursed her lips, staring Eun Sang down.

"There's no reason for me to stop coming." Eun Sang replied.

"Really? If I give you a reason, then will you quit?" She gave a threatening smile.

"Let me hear how you will make it." Eun Sang sounded tired.

"Before that, we should settle our social classes first. What does your family do? If you are New Money, how much of a New Money are you? Now I need to know about it."

Eun Sang gave a small smile. "That's really childish."

"You're really annoying me!" Rachel sneered. "Kim Tan and I are engaged. Do you know what that means?"

"Did you know that we don't care?" Piper quipped.

"Was anyone asking you?" Rachel snapped back.

"What's your point?" Eun Sang interjected.

"It's not that he and I are dating, but I am saying that it's a promise between two corporations." Rachel lectured. "Exchanging stock, sharing technology, and I'm saying that it's a deal that has the potential to create millions or even billions in profits! This is childish?"

"Because those are the ingredients to a happy marriage," Piper grumbled under her breath.

Rachel ignored her. "You, right now, are interfering with this huge deal. But you think this is childish? Now answer me. I asked you in America as well, didn't I? Who are you?"

"You'll find out who I am, soon." Eun Sang stated simply. "Because Choi Young Do knows."

"Choi Young Do?" Rachel repeated, confused.

Eun Sang and Piper walked off, heading to their first class after lunch.

"Do you think Young Do will actually tell anyone?" Piper wondered.

"Do you think he won't?" Eun Sang returned.

/

Eun Sang was cornered yet again before class, this time by Kang Ye Sol and her two henchwomen. Eun Sang had silently pleaded with Piper to stay out of it, knowing her friend had a temper that would only exacerbate the situation, but it grew harder and harder for Piper to sit by.

"Look at her." Ye Sol sneered, looking down at Eun Sang, who was quietly seated at her desk. "I said to just say either your mom or dad's name. Is it that hard? If you're New Money, there should be some articles about it."

"Kang Ye Sol," Piper called, getting the girl's attention. "You have really pretty eyes."

That caught her off guard, and she simpered at the compliment. "Thanks."

"It's a shame that once I'm done grinding you into the pavement that they won't look the same," Piper flashed her a dark smile.

"_Ya! _Crazy bitch!" Ye Sol hissed.

"You won't find them. There aren't any articles." Eun Sang answered quietly.

"Hey, if there's nothing then you're not New Money." Ye Sol declared. "In our country, where money is a sensitive issue, how could there be no news articles about someone suddenly being rich?"

"Now that I look at it, I haven't seen you get out of a car, when you came to school." One of the henchwomen added.

"If you don't want to tell us your mom and dad's name, then at least tell us the company's name." Ye Sol continued. "Is it a publicly trading company? What type of business is it?"

"Why are you all curious about this?" Eun Sang wondered. "Why are you just curious about me?"

"How dare you talk like that? Just answer what's being asked!" Ye Sol pushed Eun Sang roughly with her fingers. "Tell me."

Piper had tolerated enough. Gritting her teeth, she began to stand up to give the girls a good beat down, but was forced back into her seat by Young Do.

"Kang Ye Sol." He called from his seat behind Piper.

"What?" Her voice immediately changed, becoming soft and high pitched.

"Don't touch her." He threatened.

Ye Sol drew back, chastened by his warning. Slowly, she slid off Eun Sang's desk, not making eye contact with anyone.

"_Ya_,big news!" Myung Soo exclaimed as he swung the classroom door open. "Big news!" He was pointing aimlessly around the room, his finger finally landing on Eun Sang. "New Money, what does your family really do for a living?" He asked. "I just got a call from my mother, and she said Cha Eun Sung's mother is awesome."

"What's amazing?" Young Do questioned.

"Today was the parents meeting. Her mother, from top to bottom, was the price of a foreign car!" Myung Soo exclaimed. "She even came in the nicest car, and all the mothers lost their confidence."

Eun Sang turned, throwing a confused look at Piper. Piper was at a loss for words as well – there was no explanation she could think of that would clear up what Myung Soo was talking about.

"Are you sure?" Young Do pressed.

"Your family, uh... the 3rd finance…" Myung Soo laughed nervously, holding up three fingers. "Did you become new money by being in the cash business?"

"What's the 3rd finance," Piper twister her head back slightly, whispering to Young Do.

"Loan sharks," he replied in a whisper of his own.

"Oh."

"The... our camping, except for the room and the board..." Myung Soo went on, addressing the rest of the class. "Cha Eun Sang's mom is arranging it all."

Eun Sang was floored. "You are saying that my mom said she would pay for it?"

/

Piper almost didn't pick up her loudly ringing phone. She was enthralled in a book that Hyo Shin had lent her, but nonetheless she answered it begrudgingly – she had just gotten to a good part.

"_Yoboseyo_?" Piper pressed her phone to her ear, not looking at the caller ID.

"Piper, it's Eun Sang," the voice on the other end of the call spoke, her voice shaken. "Would it be alright if I came over for a while?"

"Of course, but why do you sound so nervous?" Piper wondered.

"Choi Young Do showed up at the Kim residence," she explained. "I can't be there right now."

Piper groaned, "That jerk. Okay, take a taxi; I'll text you my address."

"I can't afford a taxi," Eun Sang reminded her.

"Did I say you'd be the one paying?" Piper returned. "And don't even think about arguing, Eun Sang. If you show up and you're not in a taxi, I will force you to listen to Prosper practicing the piano for three hours straight."

Eun Sang gave a small laugh, "Okay, I'll take a taxi. I'll see you soon."

Piper sent her address to Eun Sang, and twenty minutes later her friend had pulled up in the large driveway. Piper paid the driver and led Eun Sang inside.

"Mom, Nan," she shouted as the two girls walked through the front door. "I have a friend over from school; we'll be in my room!"

"I'll bring you some snacks!" Her mother shouted back from her studio.

Piper grinned as she led Eun Sang into her room. "Do you want to change out of your uniform? I have some clothes you can borrow."

"Oh, you don't have – "

"Stop being so sacrificing," Piper cut her off. "I'm your friend, and you're my guest. You're allowed to feel comfortable."

Eun Sang grinned warmly, allowing herself to be led to Piper's closet. The girls giggled as they rummaged through the clothes, and for once Eun Sang could be at ease. Piper never had ulterior motives for helping her out – she was just as glad to have an uncomplicated friendship as Eun Sang – and although Chan Young had no hidden agendas when it came to Eun Sang, he had his own pride and reputation to think of. He couldn't act as rashly as Piper could; she was just reckless enough not to care about anything.

Soon, Eun Sang was dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a dolman cardigan thrown in to keep her warm. The clothes were a bit loose on Eun Sang; Piper was a few inches taller, a kilogram or two heavier, and had wide hips thanks to her mother's side of the family. Regardless, Eun Sang was comfortable and carefree, flinging herself onto Piper's bed with a sigh of contentment.

"I never realized how relaxed I could feel without worrying about Tan, or Choi Young Do, or Yoo Rachel, or anybody else from school being around." She propped herself up on her elbows. "Chan Young thinks I should keep the New Money persona up until graduation, but it's just too hard. And people are getting suspicious."

"And by people, do you mean Choi Young Do and Yoo Rachel?" Piper wondered. "Chan Young's right, just fly under the radar. If you confess, things are going to get worse. Whoever went to the parents meeting posing as your mother just saved your honest butt from any suspicion. Don't make that mystery good Samaritan's actions go to waste."

Eun Sang groaned, flopping back onto the mattress.

"Relaxation's over, huh?" Piper grinned. "Why don't we take your mind off your complicated relationships by talking about my failed one?"

She rolled off the bed and returned to her closet, rummaging through the boxes haphazardly stuffed on the shelves. She pulled out a small photo album and brought it back to the bed, flipping through the pages.

"This is Ian," Piper indicated, pointing to a picture of her and a blonde haired boy.

"He's cute," Eun Sang declared as her friend sat next to her.

"He was also my first love," Piper continued. "Well, I thought it was love. The fuzzy head, the fast-beating heart, all those symptoms of a crush can be confused for love."

"Did you two break up?" Eun Sang asked.

"Yeah…after I found out he had slept with three different girls behind my back."

"No!" Eun Sang was scandalized.

"Mmhm," Piper nodded sadly. "I was sixteen at the time. It was my eldest brother, Peyton, who found out. It was while we were living in America. Peyton was there for a business trip and saw him out with another girl. I confronted Ian about it, and the stupid boy thought I knew everything and confessed to it right then. A month later, we moved to Sweden and I turned into the tough bitch you're friends with."

"Is that why you haven't had any interest in any of the boys at school?" Eun Sang wondered.

"No, I don't have any interest in them because the vast majority of them are stuck-up money hounds." Piper replied. "I mean, be honest, if Kim Tan wasn't at Jeguk, would **you **have any interest in any of the guys at school?"

Eun Sang thought for a moment, "Well, Hyo Shin _Sunbae _is rather attractive."

Piper laughed, "You naughty girl!" She teased.

Eun Sang's text alert went off, interrupting their giggle-fest.

'Choi Young Do left.' Tan had written. 'Why aren't you coming in yet?'

'Thank you for your text.' Was all Eun Sang sent as a reply.

"Should we get you home?" Piper wondered.

Eun Sang nodded, "My mother will be wondering where I am."

"Your mother or someone else?" Piper questioned with a teasing smile.

"_Aish_, this girl," Eun Sang muttered in playful irritation.

She changed back into her uniform, and – after a few minutes of arguing – was driven home by Piper. They hadn't realized how late it had gotten, and it was dark by the time Piper dropped Eun Sang off at the Kim residence.

"Text me if anything happens," Piper requested as Eun Sang climbed out of the passenger seat.

"I will," she promised.

/

"He took the **courage **to be with you," Piper muttered incredulously as she and Eun Sang walked up to the school. Eun Sang had relayed her conversation with Kim Tan from the night before, and Piper was now fuming. "And you didn't do anything for him? What kind of bullshit is that? What courage? What the hell has he done that was so courageous?"

Piper was more irritated than she had been. English curse words kept slipping into her Korean.

"He told Choi Young Do we were dating," Eun Sang defended weakly.

"That wasn't courage, that was possessiveness," Piper argued. "He was staking his claim on you like he's been doing every time he's interfered in your business at school. If he wanted to be courageous, he'd tell his mother."

"But then his mother would fire my mother and kick us out of the house," Eun Sang informed her hurriedly.

"Exactly! It's not courage, it's Kim Tan being a petulant child wanting what he can't have." Piper decided.

"But he's right, though." Eun Sang conceded. "He as giving his all and I was just there, doing nothing to reciprocate."

"Because the consequences of the alternative were awful," Piper insisted. "This is one time I actually approve of you being self-sacrificing. And if he's too much of an ass to understand that your mother will always be more important than him, then he doesn't deserve any more of your time."

Eun Sang was silent, shuffling alongside Piper as they neared the school. Two girls ran up to them, flanking them as the girls slowed their pace.

"I'm sorry about last time." A girl with her hair pulled high into a side ponytail began. "We misunderstood."

"You didn't think too harshly of it, right?" The other one, her hair in a loose bun, asked with a hopeful smile.

"Do you want to come over to my house and study together today?" High Ponytail invited. "My mom wants to invite you over!"

"The bag your mom brought to the Parents' Meeting... where is it from?" Bunhead inquired. "My mom said that it was – "

"I'm sorry, but..." Eun Sang interrupted. "Let's not try to fix the misunderstanding. We'll leave now."

She took Piper's arm in hers and walked ahead, leaving the two girls grumbling behind them.

* * *

**____****Ya: Hey! (for either catching someone's attention or expressing displeasure) [informal]**

**____****Yoboseyo: Hello (used when answering a phone call) [formal]**

**____****__****Sunbae: ********Senior; specifically, someone who is in an upper grade or higher professional rank [formal]**

**____****__********__****Aish: An interjection that can be used to express frustration or anger [informal/slang]**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello and thank you to new readers/followers, and a big thank you to those who favorited this story! **

**tita morris (Guest): Thanks so much for your review! There's some development between Young Do and Piper in this chapter, with more coming in following chapters. Piper's gonna kick some ass, no worries. In fact, it won't just be Young Do on the receiving end! Thanks again; I love reading your reviews!**

**As for the rest of the readers, I always want to hear what you think. Feel free to leave reviews!**

**Stay gold, my lovelies!**

* * *

Midterms for the second semester were over, a giant weight lifted off everyone. The next day, the class standings were revealed, and students crowded the laminated poster to find where they ranked.

**Year 2013, 2nd semester, Midterm reports. **The paper read. **Name: 1 - Yoon Chan Young; 2 - Yoo Rachel**

"What is this? My Chan Young is first again." Bo Na gushed. "I'm totally proud."

"Oh! My Bo Na went up 7 ranks." Chan Young remarked, looking at her ranking at 37. "Well done."

"Where are we?" Parker wondered, scanning the paper for his name.

"Ooh! I'm ranked 29th!" Piper squealed. "And you're….35th." She turned to her brother, a victorious smirk on her face, "You may be older, dear brother, but I'm wiser."

"Says the girl who didn't know pineapples grew on bushes." He fired back.

"Hey, that's a common mistake to make," she defended.

"How can you be ranked first?" Tan wondered, not bothering to look at his placement.

"I was born like this." Chan Young answered simply.

"Ah!" Tan smiled. "Like how I was born good looking?"

"Can you get lost?" Bo Na wondered.

"Why? Are you dazzled?" He teased.

"Oh, _daebak_!" Myung Soo exclaimed, finally having found his name. He turned around, a pointed finger extended towards Tan, and laughed.

Everyone craned their neck to see what he had found so amusing.

**98 - Choi Young Do; 99 - Jo Myung Soo; 100 - Kim Tan**

"Oh my god." Bo Na giggled in perfect English.

"Well, at least you're 'pretty'," Piper teased Tan, her voice laden with sarcasm.

"Man," Parker patted his back with mocking comfort. "And you **tried**, too."

The group dispersed, each casting final giggles at Tan, with only Piper, Parker and Tan remaining behind. Eun Sang ran up, late to check her score, but Tan jumped with his arms spread wide to block her path.

"You're ranked 52." He informed her hurriedly. "Is that even a rank?"

She frowned, spun around and hurried off. Parker sighed and came up next to Tan, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"If you're trying to win her back or something, that was really pitiful," Parker informed him.

"I wasn't," Tan insisted. "I was just trying to stop her from seeing my score."

"Do you honestly think she's never going to pass by that board again?" He returned. "That's she's not going to see it at some point?"

"And can you stop being such a jerk to her?" Piper interjected. "She's got enough on her plate without you adding more things to worry about."

Tan looked down to her, surprised. "What do you know?"

"Everything; she's told me everything," Piper informed him. "Even things she hasn't told Chan Young. I know it all. So stop playing 'poor little rich boy' and put yourself in her shoes."

With that, she stalked off down the same path Eun Sang had fled.

"What was that about?" Parker wondered as he watched his sister retreat. Tan was silent beside him.

/

"I'm going to check the list to see who hasn't signed up for camp." Their teacher explained as she started the class. "Min Ho Shik, Lee Kwang Young, Han Hye Jin, Kim Tan, Choi Young Do," she read. "You five aren't going, right? All the students that aren't going to camp can just attend school like normal."

Bo Na spun in her seat to face Tan. "You're not going, Kim Tan? Why?"

"It's cold." He replied.

"Why aren't you going?" Myung Soo interrogated the back of Young Do's head. "Are you being a coward? You have to give me a chance to kick your ass at the paintball game!"

"I wasn't going to go because I was scared of you, but..." Young Do trailed off, staring at Eun Sang. "I just found a reason to go." He raised his hand, catching the teacher's attention. "Choi Young Do is going to go."

"Really? Bring your sign-up sheet by tomorrow." The teacher informed him.

Eun Sang cast a glace to Piper; Piper's seat in front of Young Do meant that she had better chance to eavesdrop and find out why Young Do had decided to go on the trip after all.

_He said he found a reason to go_, Piper sent a quick text.

When Eun Sang read it, she looked to Piper with wide eyes, clearly understanding what he had implied. Piper gave an exaggerated shrug.

"_Ya_," Young Do leaned forward. "What are you two talking about?"

Piper looked over her shoulder at him, "Why? Do you want to talk about clothes and boy bands with us?"

"You don't think I can keep up?" He smirked.

"Well, you did rank 98th," she reminded him, turning her back on his scowl.

/

Hyo Shin sat across from Piper in the small café, staring at his cup of coffee. She sat silently across from him, wondering and waiting.

"Are you going to tell me why you asked me here, or…" She began, her sentence trailing off as he remained staring at the cup.

"I kissed her." He confessed. "I kissed my old tutor."

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that? Your **old **tutor?"

He gave a small smile, finally looking up at her. "Not old like that. Old as in former. She's young, and beautiful, and it was only a kiss on the forehead."

"What did she say?" Piper wondered.

"Nothing; I left before she could."

"So…you just wanted to confuse her?" She wrinkled her forehead.

"I just – "

"No, you definitely confused her," Piper cut him off. "Kissing someone and then leaving would confuse anyone, especially someone who used to tutor you. One second they're your student and the next, BAM, they're making out with your forehead."

"I wasn't making out with her forehead," he corrected.

"She was probably so stunned she couldn't tell the difference," she teased gently. "But, out of curiosity, why did you tell me this? I mean, I appreciate being your confidante and all, but it just strikes me as a little weird since we haven't known each other that long."

Hyo Shin sighed, "You've probably heard this before, but of all the second tier students, you and your brother are the few who don't see their friends as competition. Even the nicest people at Jeguk still horde secrets told to them in case they need to use them later."

"I don't think that's true," Piper argued gently.

"Even if it isn't," he went on, "they'd still judge me, and I knew you wouldn't."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because that first day we met, when you asked if my parents were hard on me and offered your house as a safe haven, I didn't see it in your face. Of all the faces you wear, judgmental isn't one you put on around me. I need a friend like that."

Piper gave him a small smile. "Well, I can definitely do that."

/

The class walked down the leaf-covered dirt path, the sun shining through the multicolored tree leaves, as they made their way to the campsite. Eun Sang trailed behind the twins, wanting to be on her own for a bit. Whatever had happened in between school and the class trip had put Eun Sang in a funk, and her friends were willing to give her the space she needed.

Myung Soo and Young Do were walking in front of the twins, completely carefree as they laughed and joked around. Piper had never seen Young Do give a genuine smile, and it surprised her that even in profile it could be attractive. Myung Soo held his camera over his shoulder, snapping a quick photo.

"_Jinjja_, how do you do that?" He marveled as he looked at the tiny screen. He made a half-turn, walking sideways as he displayed the camera screen to Piper. "I caught you unawares again, and you **still **take a good photo."

"What can I say?" Piper shrugged. "I've just got a nice face."

"Let me take a real one," Myung Soo grinned, getting his camera ready.

"What? No." She shook her head.

"Oh, come on." He pouted, pouring on the _aegyo_. "Please? Please please please?"

His childish antics got the better of her, and she found herself grinning and laughing lightly. Myung Soo seized the opportunity and began snapping pictures, still walking sideways.

"_Ya_, come up here," he ordered cheerfully, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up beside him.

Finally walking straight forward again, Myung Soo threw his arm around Piper and lifted up his camera, taking _selcas_ full of _aegyo_. Piper rolled her eyes but played along, making funny faces and being as adorable as she possibly could.

"_U-wa_, Piper-ah," Myung Soo cooed, "You're so pretty. We should date."

Piper nearly tripped, the shock swiping the smile off her face. "What did you say?"

"I said we should date," he smiled earnestly.

"Sorry, Myung Soo," she patted him on the arm. "I'd only break your heart."

"It's true," Parker interjected. "My sister is a cold-hearted woman."

"Hey!" She shouted at her twin.

"It's okay," Myung Soo declared. "I've had my heart broken before."

"And you deserve to fall for a girl that **won't **break your heart," Piper informed him. "But that girl isn't me."

/

As Piper and Parker set up their tent – being twins had some advantages, namely not having to share a tent with anyone else – Piper noticed Eun Sang in the company of both Young Do and Myung Soo, looking stricken. She made a move to go help her friend, but was held back by her brother.

"You can't keep jumping in to save her, you know," he informed her.

"She's my friend," Piper defended. "And Young Do is a complete couch-fucker who has this twisted crush on her."

"All the more reason not to get involved." He stated. "What do you think will happen if we have to leave soon? Dad's already gotten offers to work at an observatory in Sydney; they just upgraded their system, and if he accepts the job as New South Wales' Government Astronomer we'd get to **live **at the observatory. You know how excited that'd make him. If we leave, what will happen to Eun Sang if you keep fighting her battles for her?"

"What do you expect me to do? Sit back and do nothing?"

"You did at our old schools," he reminded her.

/

The students stood in two lines, facing each other; one side was dressed in black vests, the other in blue. It was a survival game, the two teams pitted against each other. Parker and Piper found themselves on opposite teams – Parker in blue, Piper in black.

"Attention!" The instructor called as the staff handed out the paintball guns. "As you already know, the team with the last person standing will be the winner of this competition. The rules of this game are simple! You can take down the opponent by shooting the paintball at them."

An airsoft gun went off, and everyone looked to see Rachel with a neon yellow splatter on her vest. On the opposite side of her, Bo Na lowered her gun and smiled.

"Just like this?" Bo Na questioned, making a show of blowing the nonexistent smoke from the barrel.

Rachel scoffed as the members of the blue team began clapping, and a few of the black team smiled and chuckled as well.

"She's good," Young Do remarked, throwing a smirk at Rachel from his side on the blue team.

The instructor blew his whistle, and the players scattered through the forest. Piper made her way through the small forest, witnessing the acting talents - or, rather, over-acting - of Chan Young and Bo Na after Ye Sol shot them. As Piper darted through the trees, she came across Myung Soo a few minutes in, his gun trained on her.

"Myung Soo-yah," Piper smiled sweetly. "You wouldn't shoot me, would you? I'm too pretty to die."

"I…but…" Myung Soo fumbled, torn between saving her and shooting her.

Piper took advantage of his confusion and ran off, zigzagging through the trees. She came across Ye Sol, who was hiding behind a tree stalking one of the blue vests. Piper crept up and shot her from behind.

Ye Sol whipped around to face her attacker. "_Ya_! What did you do that for? We're on the same team!"

"I know," Piper smirked. "I just don't like you. Besides, didn't you shoot Chan Young? He's on our team."

"I was aiming for Bo Na!" She protested.

Piper shrugged, "Oh well. You're out."

She trudged off, stomping like a spoiled child out of the forest. Piper quickly dispatched the blue vest Ye Sol had targeted and ran off through the forest, keeping a quick pace to prevent anyone from getting a good shot at her.

A paintball whizzed past her ear while she had her back pressed against a tree, catching her breath. She looked over to see her brother stalking towards her, gun aimed at her chest. Piper quickly lifted hers, targeting her brother.

"Well, well, well, sister dear," he grinned. "Looks like it's just you and me."

Piper's eyebrows furrowed. "We're the only ones left in the game?"

Parker huffed and lowered his gun. "No, I was saying that for dramatic effect." He quickly lifted his gun again, "This forest isn't big enough for the both of us."

"You're an idiot," Piper shook her head, "and an asshole."

"What did I do?" He wondered, lowering his gun once again.

"'Stop being so nice to Eun Sang', 'Stop trying to help your friend', 'We're not going to stay here forever'," Piper mocked his earlier words. "This camping trip was supposed to be fun, and all you've done is made me feel like shit."

Parker opened his mouth to protest, but Piper shot him in the shoulder.

"Do me a favor," she besought. "Leave me alone for the rest of the trip."

/

After the survival game had ended, the students relaxed and ate dinner around the campsite. Piper sat next to Eun Sang, picking at her food, as the two girls were watched by Young Do as he sat across from them.

Eun Sang noticed her friend's lack of appetite. "Are you okay, Piper-ah?"

Piper game a small chuckle, "Aren't I the one always asking that of you?"

Eun Sang smiled lightly. "But, are you?"

Piper huffed, sitting back in her chair as she tossed her utensils on the tiny table. "No," she confessed. "Parker's being…" she trailed off, shaking her head as she tried to come up with an appropriate insult.

"What happened?" Her friend inquired.

"Don't make friends, Piper. Friends are bad," Piper imitated her brother. "Why bother even trying when we haven't made real friends in the other eight million schools we've been to?"

"He didn't really say that, did he?" Eun Sang gasped.

"He said something near it!" She insisted. "I just wish he'd get off my back and let me do my own thing. We're not in the same womb anymore; we're allowed to have separate lives!"

"_Ya_, you have me," Eun Sang smiled, placing a hand on her friend's arm.

"And thank god for that." Piper sighed. "I probably would have gone insane if it weren't for you; and that's not even an exaggeration."

Young Do, fed up with being ignored, kicked the small metal table to get their attention. The girls ignored him still. He kicked the table again. Eun Sang sighed and stood up, Piper mimicking her actions, and the two girls walked away from Young Do to talk in peace.

Young Do stood up. "All of you who are done eating, bring your plates here." He shouted to his classmates. "Cha Eun Sang says she will do the dishes."

The girls stopped, Eun Sang giving a small huff, as they turned around to face Eun Sang's tormentor. They could see various classmates expressing gratitude behind them, but their focus was on the tall young man who looked very proud of himself. Eun Sang huffed again, throwing him a disappointed look.

"Do you need help?" He cocked his head to the side, smirking yet again.

"I'll help her," Piper spat, scowling at him.

True to her word, Piper stood next to Eun Sang and helped her with the dishes as night fell around them. Young Do had parked himself in a chair nearby, not helping – though it didn't surprise the girls in the least.

"I thought you would help?" Eun Sang turned to him. "Is this you helping?"

"I am helping you." He insisted. "My presence alone gives you strength."

Piper scoffed, "It's like you don't even know the meaning of the words you speak."

Chan Young walked up to them, surveying their progress. "Why are there so many dishes? Why are you doing this alone?" He questioned, rolling up his sleeves. Eun Sang paused and she and Piper cast weighted glares on Young Do, causing Chan Young to turn to the boy as well. "Did you make this situation?"

"Since when were you friends with Cha Eun Sang?" Young Do wondered.

"I asked if you made her do the dishes alone." Chan Young repeated.

"Then I'll change the question." Young Do replied, deadpanned. "You know that Cha Eun Sang is under the welfare scholarship, right?"

Eun Sang straightened up in anxiety as Piper narrowed her glare. Chan Young was motionless, even as Bo Na walked up.

"_Ya_, Yoon Chan Young," Bo Na began. "Are you getting your hands wet because of Cha Eun Sang?"

"Lee Bo Na." Young Do called, his eyes still focused on Eun Sang.

"What?"

"Do you know that Cha Eun Sang is under a welfare scholarship, too?" He questioned yet again.

Bo Na looked around the camp nervously, making sure no one had heard. "Keep quiet!"

Young Do gave a small humorless laugh. "I was the only one who didn't know."

Myung Soo walked up, his plate and cup in hand, and noticed the tension in the small group. "What's this?" He wondered. "Why did you get quiet when I came? Did you guys talk about me behind my back?"

"Myung Soo, do you also –"

"Choi Young Do," Eun Sang cut him off. "Let's talk."

She wrenched off her gloves and stalked off into the forest. Young Do remained seated, an expression almost like regret on his face.

"What?" Myung Soo wondered, oblivious to the situation. "What's going on?"

Piper gave him a small smile and outstretched her hands. "Here, Myung Soo, I'll take those for you."

"You know?" Chan Young asked Piper as Myung Soo left.

"I know," Piper confirmed. "I know everything."

"She told you?" Bo Na was shocked.

"Of course she told me. I'm her best friend."

"**I'm** her best friend," Chan Young corrected.

"She's allowed to have more than one best friend." Piper informed him.

/

Piper was on her own, wandering the expanse of the campsite as she listened to her music player on shuffle. Thing were getting messy for both her and Eun Sang – though, admittedly, things for Eun Sang were far worse than they were for Piper. Piper's thoughts were fuzzy, and if Piper spent any more time around her brother, there was a chance she'd beat him with her pillow until he surrendered.

She was walking out of a part of the forest to find Eun Sang being dragged into the meal area by Young Do. Piper pulled out her earphones and shut off the music, stopping herself from calling out to her friend. If Young Do had managed to get into his rare moments of sincerity, Piper didn't want to ruin it.

"You've thought about it well," Eun Sang remarked as he let go of her arm. "This is more like you."

"Don't jump to conclusions." He muttered. "You haven't seen anything about me yet."

Young Do ruined it all on his own. Eun Sang shifted in her place, and Piper immediately wanted to go and pull her away. Parker's nagging voice sprang to her mind, but she shoved it away and began her march towards her friend. Her steps were slowed when she saw Tan walk through some bushes, his phone to his ear. Tan stopped, seeing Young Do and Eun Sang – though Eun Sang's back was turned to him.

"From now on, I'll show you." Young Do informed Eun Sang, and pulled her into a hug.

She stiffened as his arm encircled her shoulders. Tan's phone was lowered as he and Young Do locked glares, Eun Sang struggling against the hug. Piper's eyes darted nervously from one boy to the other, silently praying that they wouldn't start yet another fistfight.

Eun Sang pulled out of the hug, looking accusatorily up at Young Do, "What are you doing right now?"

"I'm showing Kim Tan," Young Do replied.

"What?" Eun Sang wondered.

Young Do motioned for her to look behind. "Behind you; Kim Tan came."

Eun Sang stood frozen, only turning when she heard footsteps coming up behind her.

"Don't interfere," Young Do requested as Tan stood beside Eun Sang. "Can't you see that the atmosphere is good?"

"Don't you see that I came all the way from Seoul to ruin that atmosphere?" Tan shot back.

"I'm asking the both of you, stop it," Eun Sang interjected, sounding weary of the situation.

"You seem sincere about her," Young Do observed, ignoring her.

"And if I am, what are you going to do?" Tan questioned.

"Then, will you convey my sincerity, too?" Young Do asked, sighing lightly. "You convey it to Cha Eun Sang that I think I like her. She won't believe me if I tell her. She'll believe it if you tell her. How upsetting."

He brushed past them, looking crushed, and locked eyes with Piper. His expression tightened, knowing she had seen the whole thing. He stalked up to her, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into another part of the clearing far away from Tan and Eun Sang.

"Will you stop?" Piper grumbled, trying to pull her hand away. "I'm not a doll that you can pick up and play with at any time!"

Finally she wrenched her arm free, staggering back a little at the force.

"What were you doing there?" He interrogated.

"I could ask you the same question," she retorted, and then gave a small, humorless laugh. "_Ani_, I know why you were there. Though, I'm not entirely sure why you felt the need to drag me here."

Young Do clenched his jaw, staring coldly at the girl in front of him. "I got annoyed by Kim Tan tonight; now, I'm getting annoyed by you." He echoed here joyless laugh, his quieter and darker. "I though this trip was supposed to be fun. Why do people keep annoying me?"

"Annoying?" Piper repeated, astounded. "Annoying? Let me tell you something about being annoyed. How about this: do you even know how it feels to be constantly reminded that you're the second choice? I'm sorry to be harsh, but you were never an option so you couldn't possibly know."

Young Do straightened up, his expression growing dark.

"So, let me tell you." Piper continued. "It's awful. Being constantly reminded that when it comes to you I'm the second choice, and it really irritates me. I **know **you came to movie night after she rejected eating with you – she told me – and when she was absent you came to find me in order to find her. Even now, when she chooses Tan over you **again** you **still **move on to your second choice. You and I aren't even on reluctantly friendly terms and it hurts."

She noticed his expression fading into something resembling shock, but she couldn't stop speaking. The floodgates had been opened and she had no idea what would come out.

"And I don't even know why it hurts!" She went on. "You've done nothing but be cruel to me, and her, and to everyone. So you've confessed, that's great," she muttered sarcastically, "but that doesn't excuse the awful things you've done. And every time you do another awful thing I get pissed off, and then I get sad…and then I get pissed off **because **I'm sad. And then it gets worse because I know what will happen: you're going to go to Eun Sang, and she's going to reject you, and you're going to come to me."

He was silent, unsure of how to respond. Unsure of where all of this was coming from.

"I'm not a second choice, Choi Young Do," she informed him. "I never have been, and I never want to be."

She turned and quickly walked off, leaving him dumbstruck. Her emotions were raging within her, most of which she couldn't pinpoint. Who the hell was he to confuse her like that? She was overwhelmed, almost to the point of panic, but refused to let it overcome her.

She didn't want to talk to her brother – she was still mad at him – so as she stepped out near a clearing, she dialed the one person she knew wouldn't judge her.

As she waited for her call to be answered, she saw him. Sitting in his car as Rachel sat in the passenger seat, Tan standing by the opened passenger door bickering with her. She saw him as he picked up the call, a mild look of surprise on his face.

"_Yoboseyo_," he answered. "Why are you calling? Shouldn't you be out having fun?"

"Hyo Shin-ah, you're at the camp, right?" Piper asked, her emotions starting to bubble over.

"I am," he replied warily, hearing the distress in her voice. "Piper-ah, _kwaenchanh-a_? Where are you?"

"You're busy right now," Piper told him, seeing Rachel continuing to pout inside the car. "But, when you're free, can you come find me? I did something bad – no, I'm doing something bad."

"What is it, Piper-ah?" Hyo Shin asked, growing concerned. "What's wrong?"

She drew in a shuddering breath. "I think I'm starting to like Choi Young Do."

* * *

**_daebak - Means "big win", "great success" or something awesome. [_****informal/**slang]

**__****____****Ya: Hey! (for either catching someone's attention or expressing displeasure) [informal]**

_**Jinjja: Really? [informal]**_

_****__aegyo: _a type of style or behaviour of acting innocent and cute like a child (even when you're well beyond your childhood years) [**informal/**slang]

_**selca - A Self-Cam picture/"selfie". I.E. a picture of yourself taken by yourself, usually with a cellphone camera. [****informal/**slang]_

_****__**U-wa: Wow [informal/slang]**_

_****__****__Ani - no [informal]_

_****__****__****____**Yoboseyo: Hello (used when answering a phone call) [formal]**_

**_Kwaenchanh-a: Are you okay? It's okay. (Can mean either depending on context and phrasing.) [informal]_**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello and thank you to new readers/followers, and a big thank you to those who favorited this story!**

**ganondorf (Guest): Thanks for your wonderful review! I'm glad you like it, even with your reservations about OC characters. Hopefully, this chapter doesn't disappoint you!**

**tita morris (Guest): Of course I'd leave a revelation like that as a cliffhanger. There's a surprise at the end of this chapter as well! I haven't decided yet if Parker is going to get a romance, so we'll see.**

**As for the rest of the readers, I always want to hear what you think. Feel free to leave reviews!**

**Stay gold, my lovelies!**

* * *

Hyo Shin and Piper sat in the abandoned dining area. He had left Tan and Rachel at the hotel to argue until their hearts were content. Piper unloaded the nearly one-sided conversation she had undergone with Young Do, the stress and embarrassment of it causing her to start crying softly.

"When did you realize?" He asked gently. "That you liked him, I mean."

"Just now," she confessed. "And I don't even know why. Am I really so cliché that I fall for the bad guy because I'm convinced I can change him?"

"You can't change him," Hyo Shin reminded her tenderly.

"I know," she agreed.

"I think Eun Sang can."

Piper sighed heavily. "She already has, and I think that's part of the problem. He's starting to be less of a raging jerk and a bully – granted, he's still a jerk and a bully – and those rare moments of sincerity make me like him more and more." She groaned and pressed her face into her hands. "I don't want to like him. I've been with a guy who hurt me and wronged me and I don't want to go through that again. What am I supposed to do?"

"I tried liking you," Hyo Shin confessed.

Piper lifted her head from her hands, looking at him bemused. "What?"

He gave a small grin, "When I realized Hyun Joo, my former tutor, would never see me as anything but a student I tried liking you. I thought that if I could, it would hurt less."

"Did it work?" She asked tentatively.

"No," he reassured her gently. "It didn't, though it did make me value your friendship more."

"So what you're saying is that it's hopeless," she deflated.

"I'm saying for me it was, but you've got an attractive _Sunbae_," he teased slightly, trying to goad her into a smile. "You could always try to fall for me."

He succeeded, and Piper grinned. "I value our friendship too much."

"Ooh," he feigned hurt, pressing his hand to his heart as if she had wounded him.

/

The next morning, a few students were gathered around the sink area, brushing their teeth and gossiping. Word about Kim Tan's nighttime arrival had somehow spread through camp. Eun Sang and Piper exchanged side glances as they listened in, both with their suspicions on the source.

"_Jinjja_?" One of Ye Sol's friends asked, shocked. "Kim Tan came here last night?"

"Yeah, Myung Soo said he saw him." Ye Sol confirmed.

"Oh my god, is that why Yoo Rachel spent the night out yesterday?" Bo Na questioned, slipping in a little English for effect.

"Yoo Rachel spent the night out?!" Ye Sol wondered. "Indeed, I suppose an engaged girl is on a different level."

"It's a really heart-fluttering word…'sleeping out'." Bo Na gushed. "Ah, Yoo Rachel is annoying!"

Ye Sol eyed Eun Sang, who was doing her best not to react. She started to leave, but Ye Sol's next words stopped her.

"Kim Tan's approach is quite something." Ye Sol remarked pointedly. "How can he leave Cha Eun Sang to go back to Yoo Rachel?"

As Piper gave Ye Sol a threatening glare, Eun Sang made her escape. Knowing she'd lose a staring match with the female McPherson, Ye Sol turned to Bo Na.

"But why are you taking care of your skin even here?" She asked, referencing Bo Na's pore scrubber.

"Without active care, there's no beauty." Bo Na answered simply. "Without beauty, there's no boyfriend."

Piper snorted, "Oh, Lee Bo Na; if that was an intentional insult at Kang Ye Sol my respect for you has increased exponentially."

"Until 8'o clock, you need to pack your stuff and meet up." Chan Young delegated as he walked up to the group. "Once we arrive at the hotel, we'll sort room arrangements beginning at 9. Then there will be a Harvard graduate _Sunbae-nim_'s…" He trailed off as the students grabbed their things and walked to their tents. "Global Leadership special lecture." He shouted after them.

The mood was tense in the McPherson tent, the twins packing their things in stuffy silence.

"Did you sleep well?" Parker attempted.

"Yeah," she grumbled, shoving her clothes in her bag.

"So did I," he tried again.

"Great," Piper muttered as she grabbed her bags, exiting the tent as quickly as she could.

/

As the students piled into the lecture room at the hotel, they were surprised to see Rachel already sitting there. As usual, she was throwing eye daggers at Eun Sang; Piper threw ones of her own right back as she guided her friend to a seat. Young Do walked in, exchanging awkward glances with both Eun Sang and Piper – each for very different reasons.

"You really slept here yesterday?" Bo Na asked as she sat next to Rachel.

"Yes, why?" Rachel replied nonchalantly.

"You were with Kim Tan?" Ye Sol pressed.

Rachel glared pointedly at Eun Sang. "Did it seem like that?"

'Kim Tan and Yoo Rachel didn't spend the night together, did they?' Piper scribbled on her notepad. 'He came to see you.'

'We slept by a fire last night,' Eun Sang wrote back. 'It was actually really nice. I'm trying not to let it bother me.'

'Don't', Piper agreed. 'She's desperate and an attention monger. She doesn't deserve yours.'

Piper couldn't concentrate during the lecture. She could feel her brother staring at her, which she avoided at any cost. He was trying to make amends for being so harsh with her; she knew this. However, she was too angry.

Angry with her brother. Angry with Yoo Rachel. Angry with Kang Ye Sol. Angry with Choi Young Do.

Mostly, she was angry with herself. Angry at the fact that she had somehow fallen back into a bad habit she had thought she had broken when she discovered how vile her ex had been. She had begun to like a guy who had no idea how to treat a person with genuine kindness.

Piper remembered how she had spiraled out of control when her family had moved to Sweden not too long after she had ended things with Ian. She was almost positive she wouldn't be able to recover as cleanly if it happened again.

/

Eun Sang caught sight of Tan immediately as the class entered the hotel's dining area, and she made a beeline for the buffet. Piper noticed her hasty swerve, and followed along. As the girls collected their breakfast, they kept tabs on the ensuing interactions, trying to find an opportune moment to sneak by and avoid their respective sources of anxiety.

"Oh, Kim Tan!" Myung Soo called, noticing him.

"You came, too, _Sunbae_?" Young Do wondered as he and Myung Soo walked up to the table.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it 'escape from love'." He remarked, earning a scowl from Tan. Hyo Shin winked, enjoying his own joke.

"I'll go first and distract them," Piper offered, willing to sacrifice her pride as she noticed the way Eun Sang was trying to remain unseen. After all, Eun Sang's emotions were more susceptible to being bruised given the current situation.

Her friend nodded gratefully and Piper walked ahead, purposefully passing by the table that Tan and Hyo Shin were occupying.

"Piper-ah, how did you sleep?" Hyo Shin asked as he noticed her pass, tossing her a grin. "Did you dream of me?"

"_Oh_," she answered coolly. "Horrible nightmares."

As Hyo Shin threw her a sarcastic frown, the three boys beside them looked between the two with varying expressions of confusion.

"_Hokshi_…are you two together?" Tan wondered.

"No," they answered in unison.

Hyo Shin looked past her to see Eun Sang walk by, her head down and eyes averted. "It's Eun Sang." He noted, and immediately Piper began shaking her head as imperceptibly as she could, her eyes wide as she stared at Hyo Shin.

Eun Sang stopped, and slowly turned to face them. Myung Soo gave a happy wave, ignorant to her distress.

She gave a small bow, "_Annyeonghaseyo_."

Eun Sang scurried past, sitting at a nearby table without another glance at them. Piper cast a disapproving glance at Hyo Shin before sitting across from Eun Sang. Tan noticed Young Do and Myung Soo still hovering around, and kicked a chair out for them.

"You going to sit down?" He asked.

"Should I?" Young Do quirked an eyebrow, kicking the chair aide and sliding in.

"I'm going to get some food." Myung Soo announced, walking to the buffet line.

As he left, Rachel came sauntering over with a tray full of food, taking the empty seat at Tan's table. "I woke up a bit early. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes." Tan answered, and Piper couldn't help but notice Eun Sang's crestfallen face.

"_Sunbae-nim_!" Bo Na called as she and Ye Sol strolled up to the table.

"Lee Bo Na announcer, it's nice to see you outside." Hyo Shin greeted.

"Right? But _Sunbae_, you slept here, too?" She wondered.

"Yeah, with Tan." He nodded.

"With Tan?" Bo Na repeated, her gaze shifting to Rachel. "Then, what about her? What is this? So you slept here by yourself?"

"I thought you slept together. _Daebak._" Ye Sol interjected.

"I spent the night in the corridor because Yoo Rachel wouldn't open the door. Gosh, she's strong." Tan lied, and Eun Sang deflated more.

"Enjoy your food. You guys, too." Bo Na remarked. "Let's go."

"Why do you live so busily?" Young Do questioned Tan as the girls walked off. "Having a girl you miss, and a separate girl you want to sleep with; is this American style?"

Everyone at the table stared at Young Do in surprise, and Piper noticed Eun Sang stiffen even more.

"I made a mistake." Tan answered with a sigh. "Should you get up or should I?"

Eun Sang had had enough, and stood up from her chair to walk out to the pool area.

"I'll get up." Young Do smiled coldly. "It seems like we can't even eat one meal together."

He stood up and left the same way Eun Sang had. Tan spun in his seat to watch him leave, noticing Piper's acidic stare in Tan's direction.

"What?" He asked petulantly.

She held up her fingers in the shape of a gun and aimed at Tan's head, pulling the imaginary trigger and shooting him, complete with the sound effects. With a final scowl, she stood up from the table as well and followed after Eun Sang and Young Do, hoping to pull her away from any torment Young Do had cooked up.

She arrived in time to see Young Do pull his signature trip-catch maneuver on Eun-sang, and then let her go so that she fell into the pool. Piper gasped and ran over to them.

"I'm sorry, my hand slipped." Young Do kneeled and smirked as Eun Sang resurfaced.

"Young Do, are you crazy?" Piper shouted, squealing as Young Do pushed her in as well.

When she resurfaced as well, he sneered down at her. "I always like to have seconds," he mocked.

Piper gaped, enraged at his insolence.

"You're really going to go this far?" Eun Sang shouted. "Is this the sincerity you wanted to show me?!"

"No, what I just did is what Kim Tan is going to do to you from now on." He answered. "Pretending to grab you and then... eventually letting you go. So before that happens, you let go. Let go and create your distance. I'm saying this for you."

"You're a proper psycho," Piper hissed. "Where in your twisted mind did you think it was okay to demonstrate like **this** instead of just saying it? And why the hell bring me into this?"

"Actions speak louder than words," he informed her.

"Thanks for the warning, but I already know." Eun Sang bit out. "That's why I'm saying this. You're dead in my hands. I'm being serious."

"_Jinjja-yo_?" Young Do laughed. "I'm going to die to your hands?"

As he laughed, Tan walked up behind him and kicked Young Do into the pool, causing a large splash. The students remained in the dining area, but pressed their faces against the glass to see what was going on.

As Young Do rose out of the water spluttering, Tan looked at him impassively. "_Mian_, my foot slipped."

"That could happen." Young Do acknowledged sarcastically, laughing. "This doesn't feel too bad. It feels like I won."

Tan looked at the two girls still standing in the pool. Eun Sang looked alarmed at the situation, Piper was a mix of embarrassment and wanting blood.

"You two," he called over to them, kneeling down and extending his hand. "Come out."

Young Do came out of the water first, walking up the steps of the pool. "What are you doing? Why?" He questioned. "Are you going to let Cha Eun Sang be called 'mistress' like somebody?"

Tan stood up, grabbing him viciously by the collar. "Shut your mouth." He hissed. "Can you deal with the consequences?"

Young Do grabbed the scruff of Tan's sweater. "That's why I asked." He fired back. "Can you deal with this engagement?"

"Have these guys lost their minds? Let go, you bastards!" Hyo Shin shouted, storming in to separate the two boys. "The dumbest kids in the class and all you guys do is get into stupid fights. Just because you have good parents and live in comfort, do you think there is nothing you should care about? Huh?!"

There was a pattering of footsteps against the concrete as Parker, Chan Young and Bo Na rushed out. Parker and Chan Young held towels in their hands.

"_Kwaenchanh-a_? Can you come up?" Chan Young asked, bending down to extend a hand.

"Don't grab Chan Young's hand!" Bo Na interjected, shoving him out of the way. "Hold my hand!"

Eun Sang smiled and took Bo Na's hand, stepping out of the water.

"Pip, why are you still in the pool?" Parker wondered, kneeling down and extending a hand to his sister.

"I was debating whether or not to drown myself out of embarrassment," she muttered, ignoring his hand as she made her way up the stairs, though she gratefully accepted the towel he placed on her shoulders.

"Kim Tan, you go up to the hotel." Hyo Shin ordered, turning and viciously throwing a towel at Young Do.

"Wow, _Sunbae_, your voice when you're cursing is really nice." Young Do quipped.

"You...try getting caught once more." Hyo Shin threatened. "What are you doing?! Are you not going inside?!" He shouted at Tan, who was still standing there. "Are you not going to listen to your _Sunbae_ now?"

Tan clenched his jaw and turned, walking back to the hotel without a single glance at anyone. Eun Sang watched him leave with a deep set frown. Young Do walked up to her and placed his towel over her head.

"It's cold." He remarked. "Don't catch a cold."

"Hey, you grade school kid!" Bo Na shouted after him as he walked off towards the hotel. She turned back to Eun Sang. "Hey, don't listen to him. Just catch a cold."

Eun Sang looked at her with surprised, giving a small incredulous laugh.

_"Kwaenchanh-a_?" Hyo Shin asked, looking to Piper, who was staring off in the direction Young Do had left.

"_Ani_," she sighed, turning to face him. "But you already guessed that, didn't you?"

"_Mianhe_," he apologized.

"_Wae_?" She cocked her heard to the side.

"It would be a lot easier if we liked each other," he grinned, causing Piper to burst into surprised giggles.

"I am so confused," Parker admitted, causing Hyo Shin to laugh and Piper's giggles to intensify.

/

As the twins ate breakfast the next morning, Piper was startled as Parker nearly choked on his cereal as he scrolled through a news page on his laptop.

"Chew, don't inhale," she quipped.

"Oh my god," he sputtered, gulping down a swig of milk to clear his throat. "Choi Young Do's dad and Yoo Rachel's mom are getting married."

"Seriously? That means Yoo Rachel and Choi Young Do will become siblings." Piper surmised. "Yeesh, that's a family made for hell."

"You gotta wonder what Christmas dinners would be like," Parker joked.

"Full of sarcasm, insults, and dry turkey," she grinned.

Her grin didn't last, though, when she saw the effect it had on the school. There were snickers and jibes, all sent in Rachel and Young Do's direction. As she leaned against the lockers while Eun Sang got her books for first class, they watched as a gaggle of students crowded around Rachel and Young Do.

"We saw the news. Congratulations!" One of the girls smiled insincerely.

"Your stocks really skyrocketed." A boy commented.

"Of course, it's the uniting of RS International and Zeus Hotel." Ye Sol's friend remarked.

"Geez, how much more of a distance will there be on the business rankings, between your family and ours?" Another boy lamented disingenuously.

"Congratulations, Young Do." Ye Sol ended the taunting, looking up at him.

Young Do brushed them off, turning to face away from them and caught sight at the two girls staring across the hallway. Both Eun Sang and Piper wore expressions of pity, and turned away as he kept staring.

"How fake!" Bo Na muttered as she strode up to her own locker. "Even though they're really cursing deep inside, they're all lining up."

"Since they are friends, they are probably congratulating." Eun Sang suggested, always wanting to see the good in people.

"How could there be friends in this school?" Bo Na questioned. "In here, to everyone, everyone is just connections."

Bo Na's words struck a chord with Piper; she had unknowingly echoed the words Hyo Shin had spoken a few days ago. Could people here really be so cold?

Yoo Rachel stormed past them, a cold mask pressed firmly on her face. Eun Sang gathered the rest of her books and she and Piper walked silently to their class. As they went to the outside walkway, they caught sight of Tan comforting Rachel, patting her on the back as she cried.

Piper sighed, "She's rude and arrogant, but I feel bad for her."

Eun Sang was silent, though Piper knew she felt something similar. As they went to continue on their way to class, their path was blocked by Young Do.

"If you are jealous," he began, looking at Eun Sang with a wide smile, "should I hug you instead?"

"Are you... okay?" She asked hesitantly.

"What?!" He wondered.

"The news... it has to do with you, as well." Eun Sang went on. "I hope that you're okay. Thinking about it, you're also only 18 years old."

With each word, he looked more baffled and stunned. Young Do looked at Eun Sang like he had never known genuine kindness before, like it had never been directed at him by someone he actually cared about.

'Damn him', Piper thought to herself. 'He's doing it again.'

"I'll push back the thought of getting revenge on you." Eun Sang remarked, leaving on her own.

Piper and Young Do stood there, silent for their own reasons. Piper looked down at Tan and Rachel and saw him staring up at Young Do, but she was too far away to get a clear read on his expression.

"Look at him," she remarked. "So jealous that she's even talking to you. How fragile it is….a person's ego." She turned back to Young Do. "One word and you can shatter a person's self-esteem." She gave a rueful smile, "But I guess that's high school, huh?"

With that, Piper brushed past Young Do as well and made her way to class.

/

As lunchtime rolled around, Piper walked towards the stairwell to make her way to the cafeteria. She was stopped by Eun Sang, who bounded up the steps and blocked her path.

"Why aren't you answering your phone?" She demanded, out of breath.

"It's on vibrate; I haven't checked it for a while," Piper answered, stunned at her friend's reaction. "What's going on? Are you still trying to avoid Tan or something? Is he down there?"

"Uh….yes," Eun Sang nodded vigorously. It was a lie – she had semi-made up with Tan after he had trapped her in the broadcasting room – but Piper didn't need to know that. "That's why you need to go. **We **need to go."

There was shouting from the landing downstairs. It was her brother, shouting in English for someone to go.

"What the hell is going on down there?" Piper muttered, looking over the banister.

What she saw floored her. Her brother was arguing with her ex-boyfriend. Hyo Shin had walked up and joined the fight, shouting in Korean at the boy who couldn't understand him. Piper gave a small gasp and stepped away from the banister before she could be seen.

She gaped, utterly dumbfounded as she scrambled for words. She could only manage sounds, incomprehensible and incomplete.

"Go," Eun Sang urged. "Will you just go?"

She took Piper by the shoulders and spun her around, pushing her off down the hallway. As Piper trudged off, Eun Sang hung back to stall as well as she could any attempt Ian made to find her. She had seen how down her friend had been, and – although she wasn't sure Piper's low spirits were only because of her fight with her brother – the last thing Eun Sang wanted was for her best friend's ex-boyfriend to crush the remaining bits of happiness Piper was holding on to.

Piper plodded down a hallway – she wasn't sure which – with her head down. After everything that had been going on, after she had gotten herself so confused, did whatever god that existed want to punish her some more?

Young Do was walking down the same hallway, heading the opposite way. He was staring at his cell phone, debating the reply he should send to Myung Soo's request to hang out after school. He looked up in time to see Piper collide with him, and he unconsciously reached out to grab her before she fell. As he caught her, he didn't miss the irony that she landed in the exact same position Eun Sang had just before he had dropped her in the pool.

It wasn't intentional; he'd essentially written off annoying her since her confession that she was tired of coming in second. The incident at the pool was a fluke, he admitted that; if she hadn't have run out and interrupted him, he wouldn't have reacted that way. But while knocking off her feet had been accidental, Young Do's mind sprang to action on instinct with various quips and witticisms fighting to be the first out of his mouth.

And then he noticed how her eyes didn't seem focused. She was swaying slightly on the spot, as if in some kind of stupor. Her bottom lip was trembling slightly, and her breathing came in short puffs. Had he really broken the wild horse doing so little? No, it was something else.

"Are you…what's that face?" He asked as he brought her back to her feet, unsure of how to act while she was being this way. He'd never experienced this before – anger he could handle, crying less so but it was still more favorable than this.

"You brought your motorbike to school right?" She questioned, her voice distant and hooded. He nodded warily, unsure if this was some kind of trick. Piper attempted a smile, but her lips wouldn't cooperate. "I think I need a getaway car; will you help me? Please."

It wasn't a word he had ever heard her use. It wasn't a word to be used lightly around him, and he knew she was fully aware of that fact. Yet here she was, using a word that he equated with begging.

Shouts came from the stairwell just around the corner, grabbing both Young Do and Piper's attention. They could hear Parker, Hyo Shin, and a male voice Young Do didn't recognize, all yelling in English. He could see Piper's expression shift as she cursed under her breath, a barely exposed desperation or anxiety coming out from underneath. Her eyes darted wildly as her mind whirred, trying to come up with any kind of escape plan.

"Play along," she told him, looking up to him with an expression of guilt. "_Mianhae_."

He didn't expect it – he never would have expected it in a million years. So when Piper grabbed him by the lapels of his school blazer and brought his lips crashing onto hers, he was so shocked he failed to resist. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted herself onto her toes to lessen the height difference, it was the surprise that caused him to react the way he did. If he had seen it coming, he never would have wrapped his arms around her waist. If he had seen it coming, he wouldn't have closed his eyes. And he definitely wouldn't have kissed her back.

That's what he told himself, and he'd keep repeating it to the grave.

The shouters had rounded the corner, the yells trailing off and the echoes fading into the walls. Piper – with her wits still somewhat about her – broke the kiss and feigned surprise as her gaze moved to the end of the hallway.

"Ian," she spoke, and Young Do turned to see a blonde haired boy standing in between Piper's twin brother and one of her best friends, their mouths agape. "What are you doing here?"

Her tone was a convincing mixture of surprise and casualness, but Young Do could feel her hands betraying her, gripping the back of his blazer so tightly it would take the hotel's staff weeks to iron it out.

"_Jagiya_," Young Do purred, inwardly relishing that he had finally found a way to get under her normally impassive brother's skin, as the horrified look on Parker's face deepened as Young Do pulled his sister closer. "Who's that?" He spoke, his heavily accented English used for the stranger's sake.

"An ex-boyfriend. He treated me poorly." She replied, keeping it vague to seem like she didn't care, though her lungs were burning.

Had she forgotten how to breathe, or was Young Do holding her too tight? No, it was from the tension she was trying to hide. That was it. Definitely not because of the arms wrapped around her waist. She couldn't even think about enjoying this. Not now.

"Would you like me to send him away?" Young Do asked, running his nose along her cheek, a playful grin on his face.

Though his outward appearance remained cool, his mind was throbbing with bewilderment. Why was he playing along? It was because it was annoying her brother, and she was probably seething deep down underneath the mask she was currently wearing. It was for those reasons only.

"You're terrible," she giggled, swatting him impishly as she stepped out of her arms to face the blonde. "Though I am curious; why are you here, Ian?"

"You…you disconnected your phone," he stuttered, his open mouth closing only slightly.

"Yeah, I moved to Sweden, and then to Korea. My old number wouldn't work outside of the U.S.," she stated. "Did you come all the way here because of that? I mean, it's been almost a year since I left America."

"No, I just…I miss you."

"Well, clearly she doesn't miss you," Young Do remarked, draping an arm around her shoulders.

"After all, you did sleep with three other girls behind my back," Piper added spitefully. "I think that's enough to stop me from missing anyone."

"Not to mention you're a complete liar," Parker interjected, alternating his burning gaze from Young Do and Ian. "Pip and I both know that since you're close to graduating, you're only here to get back into our family's good graces so that our dad will pay for your college tuition – just as you had hoped he would when you and Piper were dating. You used her then, and you're trying to use her now."

"That's disgusting," Hyo Shin reproached the blonde boy.

"That's Ian, for you," Piper pursed her lips, her fists balled at her sides to stop the outburst of embarrassment, anger, and hurt from spilling out.

"By the way, this school isn't public property," Young Do mentioned. "If you're not a student, you need to leave. I can call security to show you the way out if you like."

"No I…" Ian looked at Piper, keeping up his act of guilt and sadness, but her face remained impassive. "I'll go."

His shoulders hunched over, the blonde boy turned and walked away, defeated. When footfalls on the staircase faded away, the calmly sculpted façade Piper had worn dropped. The embarrassment, hurt, and anger finally poured out, each emotion warring with the others on her face.

"Piper," Parker began.

"_Wae_? Why now?" She wondered, her voice catching slightly. "Why would he show up now? We left Sweden months ago. He never showed up then! Why now? Did he just want to give me another reminder that I'm not good enough?"

"Stop," Hyo Shin commanded gently. "Stop."

She let out a deep sigh, collecting herself before looking up to Young Do. "_Komapda_, for playing along. I know you'll probably want me to pay you back somehow, so…whatever."

She gave a smaller sigh as she turned and marched off – Hyo Shin trailing behind her, knowing she'd be beating herself up over this, especially since only he was privy to her feelings for Young Do – leaving the two other boys behind her. Parker looked to Young Do, a quiet rage burning behind his eyes.

"I will break your face," He seethed.

"Now, is that any way to speak to the guy who just saved your sister?" Young Do wondered, the smirk back on his lips as he recomposed himself.

"You didn't save her," Parker fired back. "It could have been any guy – Hyo Shin or Myung Soo – and she could've gotten through it on her own. You just happened to be there. And if you use this to hurt her, no amount of money your family has will save you."

* * *

_**Sunbae (-nim): ********Senior; specifically, someone who is in an upper grade or higher professional rank (the suffix 'nim' makes it more polite) [formal]**_

_********__**Jinjja (-yo): Really? [informal (suffix -yo makes it formal)]**_

**_Oh: Yes/Yeah [informal/slang(ish)]_**

**_Hokshi - by any chance/could it be... (a polite way of implying something that you're not sure of instead of jumping straight to a question) [informal]_**

**__****_Annyeonghaseyo: _Hello [formal]**

**_Daebak - Means "big win", "great success" or something awesome/amazing (can be used with sarcasm to imply disbelief). [_****informal/**slang]

**_Mian: Sorry (a 'playful' sorry, usually when the apology is not so serious) [informal]_**

**__****_Kwaenchanh-a: Are you okay? It's okay. (Can mean either depending on context and phrasing.) [informal]_**

_****__****__Ani - no [informal]_

**_Mianhae - Sorry (for friends and those younger than the speaker) [informal]_**

**____****Wae: ****Why. (Sometimes used to mean 'How come?' and 'What for?', or as a disgruntled 'What?') [informal]**

_**Jagiya - sweetheart/honey [informal]**_

_****__Komapda - Thanks [informal (though more formal than 'komawo', which is used for close friends)]_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello and thank you to new readers/followers, and a big thank you to those who favorited this story!**

**ieyla,aredylla: Thanks for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Don't worry, there's plenty of Piper/Young Do to come.**

**Nikki-Nieu: As much as I love Hyo Shin (and Kang Haneul, haa), there's not going to be any romantic love between him and Piper.**

**ganondorf (Guest):**** Trust me, I love the two boys equally, and it took me forever to decide who the romantic lead would be.**

**As for the rest of the readers, I always want to hear what you think. Feel free to leave reviews!**

**Stay gold, my lovelies!**

* * *

"Why did I do that? _Wae_? _Wae_?" Piper lamented as she walked alongside Hyo Shin. "Am I crazy? Am I drunk? Did someone secretly drug me?"

"You were under stress and had to react quickly," Hyo Shin rationalized. "I'm sure anyone else would have some something similar if they were in your situation."

"I mean, I've practically done everything but confess," she went on, ignoring him. "He's going to eat me alive!"

"I sincerely doubt that," He contended.

"Who is writing my life? I want them fired." She muttered.

"Piper-ah, you need to calm down," he urged. "If anything, Young Do is probably feeling as flustered as you are. I think you may have stolen his first kiss."

"_Mwo_?" She was astonished. "_Jeongmal_? Oh no, what do I do now? Why would you tell me that?"

He shook his head and laughed lightly as she continued to freak out beside him. She could be absolutely ridiculous sometimes.

"You're just lucky your brother convinced Cha Eun Sang not to follow us." Hyo Shin added.

She groaned out a wail, causing his chuckling to resume.

/

Young Do returned to the Zeus Hotel after he had hung out with Myung Soo; the snack shop they visited had dredged up some painful memories. It was where his mother had wanted to meet the day she left him, and he was late.

All the events of that day had compounded on each other, threatening to ruin the careful façade he had crafted for himself.

He stopped short as he saw a familiar blonde boy talking to one of the front desk employees. As he left, Young Do walked up and took his place.

"That guy, is he staying here?" Young Do asked the woman.

"Yes, sir." She gave a small bow. "He is a guest here."

"His name, it's Ian something, right?" He pressed.

She checked the screen of her computer. "Ian Ainsley," she confirmed.

Young Do pursed his lips, debating for a moment. "He's not allowed to say here," he informed her. "I don't care what you have to do, but I want him removed from this hotel. If you can't or won't, you'll be fired."

He stalked off towards the elevators, leaving the poor woman stunned in his wake.

"Why the hell did I do that?" He mumbled to himself. "Why do I even care?"

/

In gym class, their first period of the day, Eun Sang and Piper sat with their backs against the wall. Given their moods, neither of them wanted to participate. Eun Sang had confessed that things had ended between her and Tan. Piper only gave her a half-truth – that she was still rattled by Ian showing up unexpectedly – since she didn't want to add any more burdens on Eun Sang. The boy that Piper was falling for instead liked her best friend; she didn't want her heartbroken friend to feel guilty over something she couldn't control.

"_Ya_, Cha Eun Sang!" They heard Bo Na call, and looked up to see her jogging over.

Eun Sang's eyes moved towards the direction of her friend's voice and inadvertently locked with Tan's, widening as they watched each other, and quickly shuffled to try to escape as Bo Na plopped down beside her.

"Hey, I was so surprised that you suddenly disappeared." Bo Na remarked. "You even left without eating breakfast."

"Thank you for yesterday." Eun Sang told her as Bo Na sat down.

"Wait, did you not stay at home last night?" Piper asked, her questioned more pointed since she knew what Bo Na didn't.

Eun Sang shook her head, "_Ani_, there were some difficulties."

"Oh," Piper mumbled, connecting the dots to why she and Tan had ended things. "But, why didn't you call me? You know you could've stayed at my house."

"You've done so much for me already," Eun Sang gave a small, sad smile. "I didn't want to take advantage of you."

"So you took advantage of me?" Bo Na questioned, acting insulted.

"I'm paying you for staying the night, remember?" Eun Sang turned to her.

"Oh right, when will you give Chan Young's picture?" Bo Na wondered.

"I will give it to you soon." Eun Sang promised.

/

Piper holed herself up in the broadcasting room, distracting herself with her most recent mix.

"Are you going to hide from him forever?" Hyo Shin questioned, looking over at her with amusement.

"Yes I am," she confirmed. "I am going to avoid him until hell freezes over."

"That's going to be hard since you have a lot of classes together," he reminded her. He paused, deciding to change the subject for her sake. "You mentioned once you have a lot of USB sticks with music on them. Is it one song per stick, or do you have a collection of songs on each."

She spun in her chair to face him, "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged, "Just curious."

She thought for a moment. "There are some with one song on them and some with two or three." She answered. "But why do you ask?"

"I just thought that it might be an interesting idea if you made a CD." Hyo Shin remarked. "Besides, it might be a good distraction to keep you from thinking about –"

"**Don't **talk about it," Piper held up a silencing finger. "But do you really think I should make a CD? I mean, who would I give it to?"

"Me, for one," he told her. "And I know Eun Sang would want one as well. In fact, if we used your music in some of the broadcasts, I know of a lot of students that would want one."

Piper mulled it over. It was certainly an interesting idea, and she definitely had enough songs to make a CD. There were just a few details that needed ironing out.

/

Young Do was sprawled along the couch of Myung Soo's studio. As he googled Eun Sang, Myung Soo and Bo Na sifted through the pictures Myung Soo had taken at the class' camping trip. Bo Na grabbed one of her sitting in a collapsible chair.

"What did you do to the pictures?" She demanded. "Do I look so fat?"

"The camera doesn't lie." Myung Soo replied.

"That's why, give me the unedited pictures." She insisted.

"Hey, you need to be fatter." He argued. "Put on about 5 kg."

"Do you think I would be fat if I put on 5 kg?" She wondered, clearly fishing for a compliment.

"Why are you whining when you know?" Myung Soo countered.

"The answer is set so all you have to do is answer. Is it that hard to say 'Bo Na you're so slim'?"

Myung Soo ignored her, grabbing another picture and tacking it to the board already covered in snapshots. As he looked over the photos he came across a telltale pattern—Young Do gazing at Eun Sang over and over again in every one of them.

"Woah!" He marveled.

"What?" Bo Na's head snapped in his direction, stepping beside him to see what caused his amazement. Her eyes widened as she saw the same pattern. "_Daebak_!"

They looked at each other in awe before spinning around to face the boy on the couch.

"Hey, Choi Young Do!" Bo Na called.

"Do you really like Cha Eun Sang?" Myung Soo questioned.

"I guess so." Young Do muttered, not looking away from his phone.

"Cha Eun Sang and Kim Tan have something going on and the whole school knows it." Bo Na lectured. "Plus, you played a large part in that."

Young Do sat up wordlessly, shutting off his phone and putting it on the speaker system to charge.

"_Ya_! The world is so wide, why would you try to find your first love at school?" Myung Soo interrogated as Young Do walked up to them.

"Oh my god!" Bo Na was astounded. "It's your first love?"

Young Do didn't answer, staring silently at the pictures of him gazing at Eun Sang. "So that's how I look when I'm looking at Cha Eun Sang." He paused, only for a second, as he took in the sight for just a moment longer. "I'm heading out first."

He turned and grabbed his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder as he headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Myung Soo called after him. "First loves won't come true. It's already set by law."

"Right," Bo Na agreed. "Look at me and Tan."

"_Ya_! Honestly, that's not first love but unrequited love." Myung Soo argued. "Objectively, you were the one who chased Tan."

"Be it I chased or was the one being chased, who are you to objectively judge someone else's first love?" Bo Na demanded.

Piper came bounding in the room, stopping short as she nearly crashed into Young Do on his way out. She blanched as she saw him, her chest constricting. He didn't betray any emotion when he saw her, though she did notice that the impassive expression he did wear tightened upon her arrival.

"Piper-ah," Myung Soo called out. "What are you doing here?"

Piper fumbled for a moment, trying to regain control of her tongue. "Myung Soo-ah," she began, finally looking away from Young Do, "the pictures you took of me at camp – ones without _aegyo_ – I need them."

"_Wae_?" He cocked his head to the side.

"I might – I mean, I haven't actually decided if I will or not – maybe make an album of the mixes I made." She told him, speaking rapidly. "Not to sell it or anything, but just to have it or give it to friends or something, and it'll need an album cover. If I do make one, that is."

"I've never noticed how much you ramble." Young Do remarked, his expression shifting into mild interest.

Piper shifted awkwardly, clearing her throat. "It happens."

"I've got a couple; come here and pick which one you like." Myung Soo waved her over. "Personally, I think they're all good, especially since I'm the one that took them."

Piper brushed past Young Do gingerly, walking to the table and observing the selection. She had to quickly cover a flinch when she was startled by Young Do as he reached over and pointed at one of the pictures. She hadn't even heard him walk up.

"You should choose this one." Young Do informed her.

"Are you sure?" Piper cleared her throat again, attempting to rid herself of the awkwardness. "You don't think it's too girly?"

"No, it makes you look pretty." He replied, turning and swiftly making his exit from the room.

Myung Soo and Bo Na gaped after him as Piper stood frozen. She drew in a steadying breath as she slapped on a fake grin.

"This one it is," she decided, grabbing the picture and escaping the room before any questions could be asked.

/

Piper stared blankly at her computer screen. She had been going through mix after mix, trying to figure out which ones were the better ones and how to order them so they'd make a cohesive album. She had selected a few, but it wasn't enough.

She groaned, sitting back in her chair, burnt out. She needed a distraction from her distraction.

As if on cue, Parker walked through the door with a bowl of popcorn and a couple of sodas, "I figured you could use a break."

"Uh oh, you're being nice," Piper quirked a side of her lip. "That means you want something."

Parker chuckled, setting the tray of food down on a clear space of her desk. "I just wanted to know if you were alright. You've seemed pretty out of it since…that incident."

Piper mumbled an acknowledgement, but didn't answer his question.

"So are you? Okay?" He pressed.

Piper sighed, "I don't know. Everything's just kinda…confusing."

"Hyo Shin told me," Parker confessed, sitting on the edge of her bed, "that you've started to like Choi Young Do."

"That blabbermouth," she groaned.

Parker was silent for a moment, "I'm not going to pretend like I understand – especially after everything that happened with Ian – but I'm not going to make you feel bad about it either."

"I don't even know why I like him," she lamented. "He's such an asshat. He does these things that make me wonder what's going on in his head, and I hate that he does them. But then I see him when he drops the façade and lets his true emotions come out, and even if it's just for a second I start to wonder if there's a chance for him to become a better person. And then he turns right around and becomes an asshole again."

Her cheeks felt wet. She didn't realize it, but somewhere during her confession she had started crying. Parker stood up from the bed and walked over to his sister and leaned over to wrap her in a hug.

"Hey," he cooed, "stop stressing yourself out over him. If you keep stressing out, you're gonna get acne."

Piper laughed, her brother's attempt to cheer her up having worked.

"Here's another thing that'll make you laugh," Parker offered. "Dad wants to take us golfing tomorrow."

"**Golfing**?" Piper repeated, chuckling as she wiped her cheeks. "Since when has dad – since when have any of us – gone golfing?"

Parker shrugged. "He said a friend suggested it to him; though who that friend is, I have no idea."

Piper gave a small laugh, reaching over and grabbing gone of the sodas her brother had brought. "This will be interesting."

/

It certainly was interesting. When they walked out of the main building to their waiting golf cart – complete with its own driver – Piper had to be stopped by her brother from turning around and running back into the building.

"Choi Young Do," Pádraic called out warmly, catching the boy's attention as he stood with three other men.

Upon closer inspection, she could see that one of the men was Kim Tan, the other two she could only assume were Young Do's father and Tan' brother.

As Young Do walked up to greet them, Parker leaned as inconspicuously as he could towards his sister. "Pip, I swear I didn't know.

"_Annyeonghaseyo, Abeoji_," Young Do bowed deeply to Pádraic. "I'm glad to see you were able to come out. I'm sorry we all won't be able to golf together; today is doubling as a business meeting for my father."

"That's alright, son," Pádraic slapped him congenially on the shoulder. "I appreciate the invite nonetheless. We should have you over for dinner sometime."

"I would like that," Young Do smiled coolly, and Piper almost died.

"Young Do," the man Piper assumed to be his father walked up to them, and though he seemed casual Piper could see him seething under his skin. "What are you doing?"

"_Annyeonghaseyo_, Choi_ Sajang-nim_," Piper and Parker bowed together.

"I'm Parker McPherson." Parker introduced. "This is my father Pádraic and my twin sister Piper. Piper and I are classmates of Choi Young Do."

"Ah, perhaps you and your sister can help him rise from his dreadful place in the class ranks," President Choi attempted a joke.

"Standardized tests aren't always the best indicator of intelligence, I've found," Piper interjected, mentally kicking herself as soon as the words left her mouth.

President Choi surveyed her coldly. "Perhaps." He turned to his son. "Young Do, our game," he reminded him, turning to rejoin the Kim brothers.

"I'm going to quickly say hello to Tan," Parker informed them, throwing pointed looks at his father.

"Ah, yes." Pádraic quickly caught on. "I'm going to check our clubs; make sure everything is there."

Young Do and Piper stood there awkwardly as Parker and Pádraic left.

"Why…did you call my father?" Piper wondered.

Young Do stood there, debating his answer. "You once said sincerity looks good on me, so I'll be sincere. Today will be difficult for me; I wanted to see you."

Piper was taken aback, unsure what his response meant. "Why didn't you ask for us to bring Cha Eun Sang along?" She asked, trying to cover her nervousness and embarrassment. "I'm sure you want to see her, too."

"I thought, for once, I should choose you first." He informed her, carefully keeping his face impassive.

He turned and rejoined his father, leaving Piper still standing there. How did he expect her to act normally when he said something like that? Did he **want **her to start hyperventilating? Because that's what she felt like she was about to do.

She mentally groaned. It was going to be a long day.

/

The next day at school, Piper walked Eun Sang to the broadcast room. Eun Sang had to be there for the club, Piper was going because she had a bone to pick with Hyo Shin. When they entered, they were surprised to see a mound of presents on the table.

"Wow, what is all this?" Eun Sang asked, looking at the gifts.

"The female _hoobae's_ offerings." Bo Na explained, sifting through the presents. "The title being: 'Congrats on the Gold Award. For Hyo Shin _Sunbae'_. He got an award at the Asian Young Film Awards."

"_Jinjja_? That's amazing." Eun Sang remarked.

"That jerk never even told me," Piper muttered. "I mean, that's big news."

"Oh right, big news." Bo Na exclaimed. "What I'm about to tell you, don't be too surprised about." She looked to Piper with narrowed eyes, "And you, don't think about repeating it."

"I promise," Piper assured her warily.

"What is it?" Eun Sang questioned.

Bo Na leaned over, whispering exaggeratedly. "Choi Young Do likes you."

"Really?" Eun Sang made a show of being surprised.

"Be quiet about it. Only Myung Soo and I know, so don't let Young Do know you two know." Bo Na ordered. "I'm only telling you because I thought you really should know. It's really a secret, okay?"

"Okay." The girls promised.

The door opened and Hyo Shin stepped through, his eyes falling on the three girls standing awkwardly in the room. "Were you talking bad about me?" He wondered. "It looks like you guys became friends by talking behind my back."

Eun Sang gave a small smile, while Bo Na gave a small scoff. "I'm not that close with her." Bo Na remarked.

"I should be talking bad about you," Piper informed him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Because one: you're terrible at keeping secrets, and two: you didn't even tell me about this."

He smiled sheepishly, flashing doe eyes at her "_Mian_."

"_Ani_." She wagged her finger at him. "_Ani_, just because you give me those puppy dog eyes – " He tilted his head to the side, saying nothing as he continued the ruse. Piper pursed her lips, knowing she'd been beaten. "I forgive you," she spoke through gritted teeth.

One of the doors opened yet again, Tan walking through making a show of knocking on the unopened door. Eun Sang's eyes widened, and Piper could feel her stiffen next to her.

"The broadcast room is off limits to unauthorized people." Hyo Shin informed him.

"She's here," Tan pointed an accusing finger at Piper.

"I've authorized her," Hyo Shin remarked. "You, I haven't."

"Is there anyone here I'm not connected to?" Tan quipped.

"Geez, he's driving me crazy," Bo Na muttered, leaning over to the other girls. "He meant for me to hear that."

"Lee Bo Na, I heard everything you just said." Tan informed her with a sigh, turning back to Hyo Shin. "Looking at the announcement board, you won some award."

"I didn't win it to make you come to the broadcast room." Hyo Shin smirked.

Tan gave a small laugh. "Do you even know what you're making? What genre is it? Horror? Scary films?" He pressed. "Friday the 13th, that kind of thing?"

"I'm always about dirty, dangerous, passionate love," Hyo Shin snarked, causing Piper to laugh and quickly turn it into a cough. "Isn't that more Cha Eun Sang's taste?"

"What?" Eun Sang asked, not fully paying attention until her name was mentioned.

"You like stuff like that?" Bo Na questioned.

"Yes." Eun Sang nodded. "Horror, Korean Horror, thriller, occult, splatter."

"You even watch splatter?" Hyo Shin looked mildly repulsed.

Eun Sang gave a hesitant laugh. "My dream is to make a horror movie full of hopes and dreams."

"But that aside..." Hyo Shin continued, singling out Eun Sang and Tan, "why are you two avoiding each other's gazes?"

"_Ya_, you guys don't need to do that for my sake!" Bo Na insisted.

'Oh, what a world she lives in,' Piper thought with a small smile.

"Since I've been caught, I should go. See ya." Tan grinned, and turned towards the doors.

"Why did you even come here?" Hyo Shin wondered, stopping Tan in his tracks.

With his back to the rest of them, Tan spoke. "I just wanted to see someone." Without another word, he left.

"Who? Me?" Hyo Shin called after him, knowing that wasn't the case.

"He's talking about me," Bo Na asserted.

"I don't think he's talking about either of you," Piper informed them, surreptitiously squeezing her friend's wrist to comfort her.

* * *

**____****Wae: ****Why. (Sometimes used to mean 'How come?' and 'What for?', or as a disgruntled 'What?') [informal]**

_**Mwo: What [informal]**_

_****__Jeongmal: Is this true?/Are you telling the truth? [informal]_

**__****____****Ya: Hey! (for either catching someone's attention or expressing displeasure) [informal]**

**__****__****_Ani - no [informal]_**

**_Daebak - Means "big win", "great success" or something awesome/amazing (can be used with sarcasm to imply disbelief). [_****informal/**slang]

**__****_aegyo: _a type of style or behavior of acting innocent and cute like a child (even when you're well beyond your childhood years) [****informal/**slang]

**__********_Annyeonghaseyo: _Hello [formal]**

**_Abeoji: _Father [formal]**

**_Sajang(-nim): Company president (___********the suffix 'nim' makes it more polite) [formal]**

**_Hoobae: A junior classmate or colleague. A less intimate and/or more professional term than dongsaeng. [formal]_**

**____****Sunbae: ********Senior; specifically, someone who is in an upper grade or higher professional rank [formal]**

**____********__********__****Jinjja: Really? [informal]**

**____********__********__********_Mian: Sorry (a 'playful' sorry, usually when the apology is not so serious) [informal]_**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello and thank you to new readers/followers, and a big thank you to those who favorited this story! There will be a few lines that sound familiar near the end of this chapter - I couldn't resist hijacking them from The Vampire Diaries. They're such great lines, and they work well in this chapter.**

**ganondorf (Guest):**** We've got a major break through (major in my opinion, at least) in this chapter, but Young Do's not at the confessing level yet.**

**ieyla,aredylla: Ha, I'm trying to be at least semi-regular with my updates. Can't guarantee this chapter will be longer, though. Oops.**

**As for the rest of the readers, I always want to hear what you think. Feel free to leave reviews!**

**Stay gold, my lovelies!**

* * *

Piper sat alone in a small restaurant she had never been to before, with a cheery name that reminded her of her favorite childhood story. 'The Secret Garden' café had a nice name, and she entered on a whim. She had thought about bringing her brother, or calling Hyo Shin, but she had grown to like the solitude. Piper had never actually spent time alone that wasn't revolved around studying or music. It was nice to explore the city she lived in without trying to keep someone else entertained.

The restaurant was cozy; brick walls, green shutters on the outside and small, round wooden tables each topped with vases of purple flowers. An easel displaying a cheery picture of a sunflower field added to the homey charm of the place.

As she sat eating, the woman who had taken her order came up to her table, a friendly smile on her face. "I'm sure your date will be here soon," she offered soothingly.

"Oh, I don't have a date," Piper corrected. "It'd be kind of hard, since the guy I like has feelings for my best friend. Who has a boyfriend." She gave a cynical smile, "Gotta love high school."

"You're a pretty girl; I'm sure he's noticed," the woman offered. "And since your friend has a boyfriend, you don't have real competition for his affections. It will all work out."

Piper sighed. "Maybe, but then again Choi Young Do is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma; I don't think anyone could predict what that guy would do."

The woman's ears perked up slightly. "Is he really that confusing?" She asked, sliding into the chair opposite Piper.

"More so," Piper confessed. "When I first met him, I thought he was your standard bully – well, actually, more so since he tended to take it to the extreme. But when I looked closer, I could see that – like all bullies – he was really sad inside. He keeps lashing out because I don't think he's had many people be truly kind to him; he doesn't know how to act around people without covering up his feelings with snide remarks and anger. Personally, I blame his father. That man can be charming, but I don't think he can be sincere."

"Do you think his father is cruel to him?" The woman asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"I only met him once, but he seemed like the type who preferred negative reinforcement." Piper informed her. "And our school isn't much better. Everyone there sees each other as either competition or a business connection. I think my brother and I are some of the few people in that school who's made genuine friends. When you add all those things together, not to mention that he's probably grown up around that kind of mentality, it's kind of understandable that he acts like that."

"This boy, does he know you like him?" She wondered.

"I don't think so. I did tell him that it hurt when he always chose my friend over me, even though he and I aren't friends." Piper sighed. "And I think I might have accidentally stolen his first kiss."

"_Omo_," the woman gasped. "You were his first kiss?"

Piper laughed sheepishly. "I don't really know. My ex-boyfriend showed up, and I reacted impulsively. But, on a side note, he did call me pretty. Well, he called a picture of me pretty so I'm not sure if he was talking about the picture itself – which his best friend took – or if he was talking about my face in it." Piper groaned, "I don't know. I'm at the point where I just want to pack all of my feelings away and just walk away."

The woman was quiet, and she gave a small sigh. "Many years ago, I walked away from someone I care about deeply. I regretted it instantly, but I was too much of a coward to see that person again. I was afraid of how I would be treated when I returned; I was scared of being rejected. Every day, I have to same urge to go and find that person, and every day I don't because I'm afraid. Don't repeat my mistake; if you truly care about him, don't walk away from this boy. If you do, like me, you'll regret it."

"I'm worried if I do, and if I fall even harder for him, it'll ruin me," Piper confessed softly.

The woman reached across the table, her perfectly manicured hands gently clasping Piper's. "Love isn't about playing it safe, it's about risks. If you never try, you'll never know. That, I think, is worse."

Piper gave a small, grateful smile to the woman. "Thanks. I really needed to hear that. I haven't talked to my mom about it, because – well, what high school student talks to their moms about relationships?"

The woman returned the smile. "You're welcome back at any time. Anytime you need to talk, and you don't want to talk to your mother, I'll listen. If I'm not here, just ask for Yoo Kyung Ran; the others will let me know."

/

Piper practically skipped towards the school the next morning, a new pep in her step after the talk she had with Yoo Kyung Ran in the restaurant. She had even given herself a silver-tipped French manicure similar to Kyung Ran's – Mrs. Yoo? – as an extra bit of encouragement.

She smiled widely as she came across Eun Sang and Tan, their hands clasped together. "Going public, I see?"

"You're in a good mood this morning," Tan remarked.

Piper shrugged, the smile still on her face. "Let's just say someone reminded me that I'm too awesome to mope around."

She walked alongside them as the students began to gossip, pulling out their phones to text the latest news to the rest of the school. Tan insisted on walking Eun Sang to the broadcasting room as he and Piper kept up a playful banter about who would be more welcomed there as Eun Sang's escort: Tan or Piper.

They stopped short when they saw Young Do in their path, looking disdainfully at Tan and Eun Sang's joined hands. Tan sighed heavily, and Piper began wondering how she'd turn Kyung Ran's advice into actions.

"This is the holy land of education, where intelligence and liberal arts breathe." Young Do reprimanded. "What are you doing?"

"_Ya_, Young Do-yah, you have such a way with words." Piper remarked, a small smile on her face and her head tilted to the side. "And a flair for irony, too."

'Win? Fail?' she wondered internally. 'Ugh, flirting is hard.'

"Go to the broadcasting station." Tan instructed the girls. "I just have to play with him now. You've seen it before."

Eun Sang looked warily between the boys, anxious about the confrontation she knew was coming. Piper allowed her to take the first steps, following beside her as they passed Young Do.

"Cha Eun Sang." Young Do stopped her. "Answer your phone from now."

"Keep going." Tan urged.

"You know, I'm fine with you trying to spare Eun Sang from the drama," Piper scolded Tan, "but I'm not okay with you talking to her like a puppy. She's your girlfriend, not your pet."

"No fighting!" Eun Sang demanded. "Both of you!"

"Especially you," Piper advised Young Do as Eun Sang walked on. "We've all seen how good you've been using your words instead of your fists. Don't ruin it now."

"Why did you say that?" Eun Sang wondered as Piper caught up to her.

Piper sighed and shook her head, "I have no idea."

/

"_Ya_, Kim Tan," Piper caught up with her classmate as they headed to lunch. "Eun Sang-ah…well, she's not very good at keeping secrets from me. She told me that Yoo Rachel knows about your mom and that you're not staying at home…_kwaenchanh-a_?"

"_Oh_," he nodded. "And if Eun Sang was to tell that secret to anyone, you're not the worst choice."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Piper informed him.

"You should," he conceded, "though it's not going to remain a secret for long."

"What? The engagement being over or the...other one."

He breathed out heavily. "Both."

They noticed the number of students rushing to the cafeteria was well beyond the normal amount that would be excited for lunch. Tan reached out and grabbed one of the students rushing by.

"Is something going on?" He asked her. "What's wrong with everyone?"

"Lee Bo Na and Rachel are making Kang Ye Sol sit in the Social Care Group seat." She informed him, pulling out of his grasp and continuing her way to the cafeteria.

Piper and Tan exchanged worried and startled looks, and made their way into the cafeteria. Rachel had seated herself beside the chair Young Do normally occupied, Bo Na sitting in the seat to the left of Young Do's empty chair. Ye Sol was standing, facing the victim's chair, tears streaming down her face..

"What are you doing?" Rachel questioned calmly. "Sit." Ye Sol was motionless. "I said sit."

"What's going on?" Young Do's lackeys came over, confused as to why their table was occupied. "Why is Kang Ye Sol..."

"She lied about her mom working at a hostess bar." One of Ye Sol's former friends answered.

"Oh my God." Another one of them sneered.

"I would say we should help," Piper muttered softly to Tan, "but I don't think I'm that nice."

Tan began to walk towards the table, "I don't know if I'm much better."

Piper followed him for the sole reason that she didn't want to be standing alone while the debacle went on. Though she wasn't going to help Ye Sol – a mean-spirited girl and a bully – she did start to feel a little bad as she neared her front-row seat to the spectacle.

Bo Na lifted her hands to her face, attempting to hide her identity from the growing crowd of onlookers.

"It's too early to cry." Rachel mocked Ye Sol dryly. "Aren't you going to sit? That's your seat!"

"Lee Bo Na!" Chan Young called, arriving at the table seconds behind Tan and Piper. "What are you doing?"

"I can explain." Bo Na fumbled. "Kang Ye Sol..."

"You go play soccer." Rachel cut her off, eyes still locked on Ye Sol. "This is girls' business."

Tan, who Piper thought was going to watch alongside her, suddenly grabbed his stomach in an overdramatic show of pain. "I'm hungry." He grabbed a plate of food from another student's hands, "It looks so good. I'm sorry, but can you move?" Tan asked as he walked up to Ye Sol. When she didn't move, he brushed her aside. "_Komawo_."

Everyone watched in surprise as Tan sat in the victim's seat, seemingly obtuse to the connotations. Everyone was fully aware he knew what the seat meant, which is why his gleeful expression at his plate was all the more confusing.

"Kim Tan! What are you doing?" Rachel demanded.

"What am I doing?" He asked with a mouthful of food. "Eating. Why aren't you eating? I'm going to eat if you're not." He remarked, reaching for Rachel's plate.

"Don't you know what that seat is?" She interrogated, her volume rising.

"This seat?" He played ignorant. "The closest seat to the food?"

Eun Sang walked up between Chan Young and Piper, her eyes widening as she took in the situation.

"Tell me it's not going to be as bad as I think it's going to be," Piper whispered down to Eun Sang.

Her fleeting hopes were dashed as Young Do walked past, heading directly to stand beside the seat Tan was occupying.

"Aw, fuck," Piper muttered, dropping her head in disappointment.

"What are you doing?" Young Do asked lowly.

Tan grumbled, "How many times do I have to say this? I'm eating! Can I eat here?"

"You're breaking the rule." Young Do reminded him with a smirk.

Tan flung his plate onto the table. "I made the rule. I can break it."

"You made it, but I'm the one who maintained it." Young Do insisted. "You cannot break it without my approval. You can't break the rule. I will show you why. It's because that seat is for this."

To demonstrate what that seat meant, Young Do bent down and grabbed Tan's plate of curry and dumped it on Tan's blazer. A collective gasp came from the students surrounding the table. Tan looked down at his dirtied jacket, his jaw tightening.

"Up until yesterday this seat was for this," Tan began, slowly standing up and shrugging out of his jacket. "But as of today, this can happen. Cha Eun Sang, _mian_." He apologized, glancing over at her momentarily before turning and flinging his dirty jacket in Young Do's face. "Go wash it."

The boys stared each other down, poison shooting from their glares, that was only broken when Eun Sang pushed through the crowd and pulled Tan away by the wrist.

"Come out." Chan Young grabbed Bo Na's wrist, pulling her out of the cafeteria as well.

The crowd dispersed, no more entertainment for them, leaving Rachel sitting alone and Young Do and Piper standing in silence. Utterly fed up, Piper copied the actions of Eun Sang and Chan Young. She swiftly grabbed Young Do's arm, pulling him out of the cafeteria and onto the roof.

"Don't think you can do that again," Young Do warned her. "I only let you drag me along because I don't approve of violence against girls."

"Oh will you shut up?" She growled, catching him off guard. "I have had it with you and your antics. I'm tired of trying to justify why you act the way you do."

"Who asked you to?" He sneered, beginning to move past her.

She caught his arm and forced him back to where he had been standing. "Is that what it's like in your world?" She fired back. "People only do things for you because you **ask **them to, rather than a desire to be a good person?"

"No, I **tell **them to, and they do it," he growled.

"Well, that's just sad." She scoffed. "What, is **asking **a weakness, too? Tan once said that at Jeguk High, one should never take the side of the weak. If someone weak stands by the weak, then they would just be weak. Is that why you hide behind that bullying persona of yours? Because you're afraid that if you show sincerity, people will construe it as weakness?"

"Shut your mouth." Young Do hissed.

"I won't do anything of the sort." Piper retorted. "I thought, just maybe, that you were on your way to being a better person. I thought that maybe you liking Cha Eun Sang would have a positive effect on you, but it's just made you bitter. You keep trampling on people, and if you keep doing that you'll be alone. You'll have no one. That's a fate I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

She turned away, beginning to walk towards the stairwell to lead her back to the school's interior. Something bubbled inside Young Do, and he stalked over and grabbed her arm.

"Don't turn your back on me!" He snarled, spinning her to face him.

"I should have turned my back on you ages ago!" She shouted as she faced him.

Young Do reeled, both at her words and at the force with which she had hurled them at him.

Piper breathed in deeply before continuing and a normal volume, "Do you even understand how hard it is to look at you – knowing you have this huge potential to be an amazing person – and watch you throw it away time after time?"

Tears had pricked the corners of her eyes; she was crying over him again. But what surprised her was that Young Do eyes had turned red, though there was no trace of tears in them.

"It's that," she indicated with a weak gesture, "those moments of the real you, of that humanity that you seem so desperate to try and hide, that keep me coming back."

"Who are you?" He questioned, drawing in a deep breath to steady himself.

"I don't know," Piper admitted. "A fool, perhaps?"

/

It was just past dinnertime at the McPherson home. Piper had been quiet the whole meal, but Parker brushed off his parent's questions with the same comment: Piper was worried because Eun Sang and her boyfriend are fighting. It wasn't the truth, and they were aware of that, but they didn't press.

As the twins helped Nan bring the dirty dishes to the sink, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Piper offered.

She was surprised to see Hyo Shin standing on her doorstep, even more so when she noticed his eyes were puffy and his complexion splotchy. He had been crying.

"Hyo Shin-ah," she breathed, her heart hurting as she looked at him.

"Piper-ah, you said if I needed a place to stay I could come here," he began weakly. "Is that still true?"

"Of course," she cooed, stepping out and grabbing his suitcase before linking her free arm in his. "Come inside."

He was trembling slightly in her arms. She wondered what had happened at his home to cause this kind of reaction. It was clear he had been crying before he had come, but he had pulled himself together just enough.

"Hyo Shin _Sunbae_," Parker acknowledged as the two walked into the kitchen.

"Mom, Dad, this is my friend Hyo Shin from school," she introduced, her parents looking at the boy with the same concern she had when she saw him at her door. "I promised him if he needed a place to stay that he could stay here, **no questions asked**," she emphasized. "Please don't make a liar out of me."

Pearl smiled warmly, standing out of her chair and going to greet the boy. "Any friend of our children is welcome to stay here. Though, I do have one question," she admitted. "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

Hyo Shin gave a small, watery laugh. "Yes, ma'am."

"If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can call me _eomeoni_," Pearl placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "After all, you'll be living under my roof."

"And with that comes the house rules," Pádraic informed him gently, standing next to his wife. "Weekend homework must be done before movie night, and while the older kids don't have a curfew or bedtime, we ask that you keep the noise level to a minimum for the rest of us who go to bed at normal hours." He gave appointed stare at Piper, known for her all-nighters.

"_Kamsamnida, eomeoni… abeoji_," Hyo Shin bowed.

"I'll show him to the guest room," Piper told them, gently guiding her friend towards the stairs.

She led him to the empty room next to Prosper's, situated across the hall from Parker's room. As soon as they entered, he sat heavily on the mattress. Piper sat next to him, unsure how she should comfort him.

"I left a note for my parents," he finally spoke. "Saying if they didn't try to find me, I wouldn't skip my college admissions interview."

"You don't have to give me any explanations," Piper quietly interrupted. "I told you: no questions asked."

The door creaked open, and Prosper's tiny head poked through. "_Hyung_, will you read to me tonight?"

"You don't want me to read to you?" Piper wondered.

He shook his head, "_Hyung's_ voice is better."

Hyo Shin and Piper laughed lightly, the mood successfully lifted.

* * *

_**Omo - an exclamation showing your surprise, happiness, etc. for an unexpected situation [informal/slang]**_

_********__****____**Ya: Hey! (for either catching someone's attention or expressing displeasure) [informal]**_

**__****_Kwaenchanh-a: Are you okay? It's okay. (Can mean either depending on context and phrasing.) [informal]_**

******_Oh: Yes/Yeah [informal/slang(ish)]_**

**_Komawo: Thank you. [informal]_**

******____********__********__********_Mian: Sorry (a 'playful' sorry, usually when the apology is not so serious) [informal]_**

**____****Sunbae: ********Senior; specifically, someone who is in an upper grade or higher professional rank [formal]**

**_Eomeoni: mother [formal]_**

**____****_Kamsamnida: _****Thank you. [formal]**

**__****_Abeoji: _Father [formal]**

**__****__****Hyung: Brother (also used by males to address older male friends) [informal-ish]**


End file.
